A New Generation
by TheMattdude
Summary: Adventure Bay is in trouble. The PAW Patrol disbanded decades ago, and all that's left is Ryder's grandson, Max, and his dog, Ranger. Together, the two must travel across the nation to find new members while the clock is running. Can the PAW Patrol be brought back to stop a crime ring? Or will it be too late?
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: The title of this should be familiar to those of you who follow my stories. In my collection of shorts (Havin' A One-shottin' Good Time), thi sis the fifth chapter. I saw several reviews saying how they wanted to see something of a continuation, and so surprise! This is going to be a double upload, as I post this chapter and a second chapter. Depending on how well received it is, I might make this my main story. Enjoy!**_

* * *

"I don't think we should be doing this, sir," the german shepherd pup said. The boy waved his pup's concern away with his hand.

"I want to see this place," the boy replied. The pup whimpered.

"It's property of the government now. It has been for nearly the past five decades. We shouldn't be here."

The boy looked his pup in the eye. "I am aware. I want to see if Grandpa's stories are true."

"Just because your granddad told you something before he died, doesn't mean that we should be breaking the law."

The blue-eyed, brown-haired fourteen year-old held something up between his thumb and first finger. "Grandpa gave me this USB before he died." The boy and his pup were walking across an old bridge, oblivious to the electric cars that were whirring past.

"We can't even use that USB! That technology disappeared a long time ago. There isn't a computer left to run it." The boy shook his head.

"If Grandpa was right before he died five years ago, then the computer we're looking for should be in the building he talked about." The building the boy mentioned was straight ahead, on a small section of the bay. It was at the east-most point of the island, creating the bay. It was what looked like an old lighthouse, apart from the fact there was no light.

The roof was a faded red, now almost pink. It was a simple concrete building, crusted in salt. Cracks had formed, but on just the exterior. The inside of the walls were titanium, ensuring that as time went on, it wouldn't collapse or rust. A yellow periscope stuck out of the roof, with a cracked lense and faded paint the only reminder of what it was.

The boy and his dog made their way up the twisting driveway, walking past multiple signs that read "No Trespassing". The pup glanced nervously at the signs, swallowing multiple times.

"Don't worry, Ranger," the boy told his dog. "If what Grandpa said is true, we're merely re-taking possession.

"Easy for you to say, Max, sir. You aren't terribly law-abiding, unlike me." The boy, Max, huffed at the pup's statement.

"Everyone says that. You aren't even three and you already act like you're ten. Just ease up a little." Ranger kept his jaw shut, but Max still saw it tighten every now and again.

The pair stopped just outside the front door. It was closed, although the glass was broken on one of the doors. Max squeezed through the open gap, mindful of the remaining glass edges. Ranger looked around at the glass edge, then leapt through after his owner.

Max turned in a circle, nearly tripping over his own feet as he spun. The place was covered in dust, a layer that made Ranger sneeze. "Bless you," Max said distractedly. He didn't hear Ranger's "thank you".

Old pup-treat containers skulked in one corner, partially full of moldy treats. Ranger eyed them hungrily. There was an old couch, missing one of its cushions, with the one remaining cushion torn. There were multiple bean bags, some of which had stains. They looked like food stains, Max even saw a moldy piece of pepperoni. There was one remaining picture on the wall, with a ten-year old boy and eight pups. Max stared long at the photo.

"We need to find a computer somewhere," Max said to his dog. Without giving time for Ranger to answer, Max turned down a hall. The german shepherd ran to catch up.

The pair looked at each door as they walked past, looking into one that had the door opened slightly. One of the doors had a star on a blue background. Another had an orange and yellow fire symbol, while yet a third had plane or helicopter blades on a pink background. A fourth had recycling arrows, and the one next to it had an anchor on an orange background. The final one had a wrench on a yellow background.

At the end of the hall, Max saw what he was looking for. It was a seventh door, but this one had a paw symbol on a red and blue background. Stopping a moment at the door, the boy looked to his dog.

"This is the moment of truth, Ranger," the boy said quietly.

"Then let's hurry before someone finds us out," the shepherd said anxiously.

Max slowly turned the knob, and gently pushed the door. It squeaked open, protesting as the rusty hinges ground against one another. Max tiptoed into the room, with Ranger right on his heels.

Glancing around the room, it was filled with what looked to be projects. One looked like a dog-sized backpack, with arms protruding from the sides. Ranger went to inspect it, sniffing at it. Shaking his head, he said, "If your granddad really owned this place, he had some very interesting things." Max merely nodded, speechless at what he was seeing. His grandfather had been close-mouthed about what he had done when he was Max's age, and so his grandson was finally see what he had done.

Seeing a desk, with a desktop computer on it, Max sat down in an old chair. It rattled and squeaked in protest, but Max paid it no heed. Looking at the back of the desktop, he found a USB port. Plugging the USB in, Max also hit the power button. There was nothing for a few seconds, then the screen changed. It changed to a red symbol with a silver paw print in the middle, and a blue background. It shouted "PAW Patrol is on a roll!", then went to the home screen.

"I'm surprised this thing works," Max muttered to himself. He grabbed the mouse, and went to hover over some of the files shown. Mission Reports, Mission Feed, Projects, mostly labels that Max didn't understand. He looked over a couple of the other files saved, and saw names beneath some of the folders. Chase, Skye, Rocky, Zuma, Marshall, Rubble, Everest, and Tracker. None of the names made sense to the boy. He searched a moment more, and found a file labeled "USB Data". He double clicked on it, and a black screen appeared.

A bar appeared on the screen, saying "Downloading...25%". Max waited for a few minutes, while Ranger stood on his hind paws to see the screen. "Download...Complete!" it read. The screen went dark again, until a wall could be seen. There was some shuffling, and a young man in his twenties rolled into view in a desk chair.

He had dark brown hair, which was combed straight up. He had brown eyes, and a perfect smile on his face. He had a square jaw, and prominent cheekbones. He had a pale vest, with red across his shoulders.

"Hello," the man said to the camera, "if you're watching this, then I have chosen you to follow the steps I laid. I chose you for your character, and for how you act to those around you. Oh, I nearly forgot. My name is Zachary Ryder Jr., although I am more well known as just 'Ryder'." Max stared intently at the screen. At his grandpa. At least, a younger version of his grandfather.

"Anyway," Ryder said on the screen, "young one, I have chosen you, because I see things in you. You might be watching this years after I have passed away, long after my team has gone.

"I am sure you are wondering what I mean by 'my team'. And so I'll tell you. At one point in time, I was in command of a team of dogs, a team that had pledged its life on helping those in need. No matter the issue, we were always willing to help. If I gave this to you, then it means I think this team needs to be brought back. I am hoping that this message would never have to be watched, but it appears this town needs it.

"The team I started and commanded was known as the PAW Patrol. This team ran with backing from the mayor of Adventure Bay, but eventually collapsed. We weren't needed anymore, so I broke up the team. Our team consisted of eight pups. A police pup, a firedog, an aviator, a water rescue pup, a construction pup, a recycling pup, a winter rescue pup, and a jungle survivalist pup. So if you are watching this, I know what I am asking of you may sound like a lot.

"I am asking that you rejuvenate the PAW Patrol. I have made sure that the offspring of my police and aviator pups, and possibly their pups' pups, have stayed in my family. If you don't have one of them, I entitle you to ownership of the one of your choice. I am hoping to still be alive when I give you the pup, so that you can strengthen your bond with him or her. I have some families of pups for you to go to, so as to hopefully make your duty easier.

"I just want you to know that I chose you because I knew you could do it. Otherwise you wouldn't be watching this. I want you to know that I believe in you to be a worthy successor, and possibly even surpass me in being a team leader. I believe in you, young one. Be strong. You are entitled to any money I may have left, as well as any objects at the old Lookout you may want. Do well, young one. I know you will." The screen went dark.

Max looked at Ranger, his hands shaking. Ranger looked at his owner's eyes. "We have some-" Ranger started, but was interrupted. The screen went to a different room, and an older Ryder appeared on the screen.

"Max, I am adding this to the initial message. I know I won't be around much longer, and I gave this to you because I believed in you. When I picked you, I spoke with your pup's parents. I asked them to give you their first pup, to help you restart the PAW Patrol. There was a reason why I asked you to wait until your pup was three years old, and this is why. Watching you grow up into the fine young man you are now is one of the best things that has ever happened to me. I chose you because I see potential that you don't even know you have. I have seen you in school, taking leadership eagerly and caring for others. You're nearly exactly like me, getting out of high school by the time you're ten. I trust that you will know what to do.

"I wish I could walk you through what you need to do, but I sadly won't be there in person to help you. I've gotten old, and I only have months to live now. I want you to know that no matter what, whether you succeed or fail, I will always be proud of you. This may be a lot to take in, you probably won't even know half the things I've said so far. I can't talk much longer, the nurse insists I take my nap in a few minutes." A coarse laugh escaped the old man. "It's funny, life. You start by taking naps and having people feed you, and you end by taking naps and having people feed you. Not the most dignified way to die, now is it? Anyway, for you, I have prepared what I call a 'pup-pad'. I have hopefully updated it, but it might be a few years till you use it. On it, I have the name of a family for you to look into. Restarting the PAW Patrol is not going to be easy, but I know you can do it. The name I have is of whom your second member should be. I know a little about him, I have kept in touch with his parents. It is up to you if he should be your second member, apart from the pup you have now. He is your first. So Ranger, I get the feeling you will be a police dog. Your parents assured me that once you were born, they would raise you right. So please keep an eye on my grandson, he's going to need it. So good luck to you both. There shall be more instructions on the pup-pad. I hope you can succeed where I have failed, getting the PAW Patrol started again. I love you, Max." The screen went dark.

Max wiped a tear from his eye, having shed it for his grandfather. Ranger nudged his hand, trying to offer comfort. The boy smiled sadly at his dog. "Ranger, it looks like we have something to do in our lives."

The german shepherd wagged his tail quickly. "Sir, I would love to work alongside you as a partner." Ranger and Max both jumped suddenly as a mechanical whine was heard. A desk drawer opened. Max stared at it for a few moments, then cautiously looked into it.

It was a tablet, about the size of a small watermelon's diameter. It had rubber bumpers around the edge, and had a silver frame and back. It had a light blue home button, the same color as the bumpers. Max pushed the button, watching curiously as it powered on almost immediately. It had the same red and silver paw logo, this time saying "PAW Patrol II" underneath it. A white screen with black lettering then appeared. Max read it out loud.

"No job is too big, no pup is too small," Max read. The screen changed. "Your first recruit isn't a brute. Through ash and smoke, you can rely on this bloke. Just look to the sky, where there is smoke on-the-fly. Look to the golden gate, and look for the last name of Blate." Ranger cocked his head, and looked at the screen himself.

"A riddle? Why a riddle? He said he would provide instruction." Max shook his head.

"It is instruction. I would've expected something a bit harder than this, considering he knew how smart I was." Ranger merely stuck out his tongue. The boy rolled his eyes, then continued. "This is for a fire pup. When it says 'look to the golden-gate', it's talking about the Golden-Gate Bridge. We need to look for a pup who has the last name 'Blate' and see if he has what we're looking for." Max got up, and looked around. He looked closely at the pup-sized backpack, and made the connection. "Ranger, do you know what that is?" the boy said, pointing at the pack.

"No, sir. It looks like a backpack, though I doubt it is," the shepherd replied.

"Because it isn't. Grandpa commanded a team of dogs. So why would he have something such as this?"

"To help the dogs walk old ladies across the street?" Ranger asked. Max shook his head.

"Not quite. He would have built something like this to help his dogs help others. Depending on their duties, he probably would've made them different. This particular one," Max gestured to the pack on the table, "has a net, a taser, a megaphone, and a spotlight. I think this belongs to a police pup." Ranger looked at the pack with renewed interest.

"So how do I work it?" he asked quickly. "Taser!" the pup shouted. Nothing. "Uh, how about this? Arf! Taser!" There was a moment of delay, then the taser attachment fired. The could both hear the crackling of electricity as it fired. Then it was quiet. "Well, I guess that's how it works. Ruff! Retract!" The taser's cords wound themselves back into the gun, and it folded into the pack. "That's cool! Can you put it on?" Ranger asked, looking at his owner.

"I guess so. Just be cautious, who knows how old it is." Max grabbed the pack, and placed it on his dog. He buckled it, it having pieces of titanium armor in between the straps.

"Well, it fits good," Ranger said, inspecting it. Max nodded.

"It sure does. Hold on a moment, I want to do something." Max walked back over to the computer, and removed the USB. He held a circular device next to it, and pressed a button. There was a few seconds of silence, then the round object beeped. Max then shut down the computer. He tapped the circular device. "Just wanted to download those files. There's no telling what there might be on that computer."

Ranger nodded. "Good thinking. Now let's get out of here before we get discovered. I'd hate to start this off on the wrong side of the law." The pup shivered.

Max hesitated. "If he says so, technically we own this place now. And I don't know about you, but I want to look around this place and see what there is." Ranger whimpered.

"I don't know, sir. Even if it is technically ours, no one else knows that. And I know you know what your uncle will do if we do end up getting caught." The pup shivered again.

Max waved his pup's concern away again. "Look, I have no intention of going back to his place now. I don't care if he's my only living relative. I don't want you to get hurt again."

Ranger held his ribs at the memory. The force behind the drunken man's foot hurt quite a lot. "Alright," the german shepherd relented, "we can stay here. As soon as we get found out though, it's all on you."

The boy smiled at how paranoid his dog was being. "No one's been in here in probably thirty, forty years. We're the first ones here in that time, and we have proof that Grandpa left this for us."

"But didn't he tell us that the town or whoever owned it?"

Max was silent for a moment, then spoke slowly. "He did _say_ that. However, he probably didn't _mean_ it. He was rich enough to keep this place, albeit not maintain it. Everyone thought he died without a will, and so far my uncle hasn't been able to get his grubby hands on it. Nor do I plan to let him. C'mon, let's go see where that elevator goes." Cutting off the discussion, Max walked back towards the main entrance, Ranger obediently following.

"But, sir," Ranger spoke, "what if the elevator won't work? Again, it probably hasn't been used in decades."

Max answered without stopping or looking at his pup. "Because, so far the other things we've tried have worked. If Grandpa made it, it could survive a war and still be fine."

"That's another thing. We've only really tried two objects, both of which are outdated. What makes you think the elevator will work?" Max stopped and turned quickly, looking at his pup's eyes.

"Because Grandpa made it. And if he made it, chances are it will be around for a long time." Max turned back to walking to the elevator.

"Yes, I get that your grandpa was smart, sir, but, it's been nearly half a century since this place was closed. I don't know if it will work." Max wisely chose to ignore him.

The boy strode confidently into the elevator, with Ranger stopping just outside. He looked carefully at the floor, then slowly tested it with a paw. It holding, he set another paw into it, then another, and one last one. Both inside the elevator, Max noticed something odd.

"There's no buttons," he said absentmindedly.

"See? See!? I knew it wouldn't work," Ranger immediately argued.

"Bark at it."

"What?"

"I said bark at it!"

Ranger looked curiously at his owner, then did as he was still. "Arf! Elevator up!" There was nothing. "See? I told you it wou- woah!" He cried out as the elevator lurched a foot upwards, then quickly and smoothly ascended. Ranger looked at his owner, who had a smug grin spread across his face. "Fine, it works," Ranger mumbled, "you don't have to be so darn smug about it though."

The elevator reached the top of the Lookout offering a grand view of the bay and the town. Max gave a low whistle at the sight. Even though the windows were smudged and cracked, it was a spectacular sight. "It's a pity that Adventure Bay isn't as nice as it once was," Max said unconsciously.

Ranger nodded his agreement. "Maybe your grandfather wasn't so crazy." Max looked at his dog.

"He was never crazy. And you know, I'm going to follow his steps." Ranger turned to his owner.

"I'm with you all the way."

Max smiled. "I knew you would be."


	2. Chapter 2

**_A/N: And here is part 2 of the double upload. I hope you all enjoy it, as I am looking forward to see how this does. At this point in time, I have no guarantees about when the third chapter will be out, so as ever, enjoy!_**

* * *

"We have two minutes! Get the child out of that building!" the captain shouted. The young dalmatian picked up her pace, stumbling over her own paws. She prevented herself from crying out at the surprise. She dove into the building through one of the first-story windows, the glass already having been shattered at the heat from the fire. Her oxygen mask was already secure around her face, and special, new boots tailored for pups helped protect her paws from the glass-and-splinter covered floor. The debris crunched as her light boots stepped on it and bent it. The pup whimpered slightly as a particularly large splinter worked its way through the sole of one of her boots, but it was ignored. She thought about how the fire had looked when she was outside the building. The fire had started in the basement, then had moved it's way upwards.

A child would have moved as far away as possible from the danger, meaning they would have gone upstairs. The young dalmatian slid under a half-collapsed beam, quickly getting on her paws and launched herself up the stairs. It had three stories, with the likely-hood the child had gone up there. A door was in the way, but the dally had come prepared. A pup-pack on her back held a multitude of tools to aid in fighting fires. But she only needed one.

"Arf! Axe!" she yelled. A long-handled axe unfolded from her pack, a small, bright red head glinting in the firelight. In just a few swift chops, a gap opened in the door. The dalmatian leapt through the gap and onto the stairs just past it. The fire-suit she was wearing protected her from the splintered edges around the hole as it brushed past. Skipping a stair or two at a time, she was quickly at the top. The flames weren't up on this level, but the smoke was thick as it got caught by the roof. The pup hunkered low to the ground to both see and avoid any chance of smoke inhalation. It didn't help much, but it was preferable to standing upright.

Squinting to see, the pup barked on the lights on either side of her mask. "Bark! Lights!" The smoke around her immediately illuminated, and through she could just see the shape of the child. She grabbed a spare mask from her pack and placed it on the child's face. It was limp, which made the dally grit her teeth. She was a small pup, and this was one of those occasions she wished she was bigger. Ever so carefully, she eased the body of the child onto her back. "Arf! Belt!" From her back came two straps, which would secure the child in place on her back. She automatically knew that there was no time to run through the house again.

Seeing a closed window, she smashed it out with her boot. Clicking her tongue thrice, her tag glowed. Down below a truck drove to a spot beneath the window. It was a fire engine. In this year, though, it was more a fire-motor, as it was electric. A ladder shot up towards the window to provide an escape for the pup and child. It was still a few feet away from the window when the dalmatian jumped. She gritted her teeth in pain as her legs struggled to keep a hold of the ladder. Sensing the weight on it, the ladder retracted back to the truck. The spotted pup breathed heavily as the ladder went down. Sweat and condensation was starting to fog up her mask as well. Reaching the truck, she jumped off to the side, mindful of the child. She gently went down on her legs, and rolled slightly to allow the child to gently go to the ground. That done, she ripped off her mask. A wave of cold air punched her in the face. She sighed happily.

"Not bad, not bad," the captain muttered, tapping a pen to a clipboard. The dalmatian's shoulders slumped slightly at the voice. She was one of the top students in the academy, showing an immense understanding of firefighting. This was her final test, one which she wouldn't know the details of until the other pups had gone through. That alone would take two more days, and just to be cruel, she figured, they all had to wait an additional day. They were all told that their scores needed to be tallied, but everyone knew better. They had the scores prepared almost the moment they finished.

"So, how'd I do?" the dalmation asked. She knew that there wouldn't be definite answers, but a comment or two was common.

"Not bad, you were out in a timely manner, control over tools and emotions, and proper care for those trapped. All in all, you did well. You'll have the results-"

"In a few days, I get it." She couldn't help but smile at the captain, and he returned the good-natured pup's grin.

"Couldn't have said it better myself."

* * *

"So what's the word, Max, sir?" Ranger asked. His owner fell onto one of the cleaned bean bag chairs.

"Well, it appears that we get this place, and the money. The court is currently deciding on whether or not I'm going to remain in my uncle's custody. Thanks for being a witness. I'm glad that the court has changed over the years. It's hard to believe dogs couldn't be called as witnesses nearly sixty years ago. Or however long ago it was." The german shepherd nodded.

"I'm glad I could help. I don't really like your uncle." Max laughed at his dog's statement.

"Ranger, you've said that so often in the past, it's not news anymore. He's not a good man, good men don't get drunk."

"Well, you can still be a good man but get drunk," Ranger contradicted. Max couldn't help but snicker.

"You get my point." The two sat comfortably for a few minutes. Max looked around the Lookout. He and Ranger had given it a good cleaning, dusting, vacuuming, washing. Repairs were something that was still on the "To-do" list. Items such as replacing glass, repainting, repairing some of the motor functions like the elevator, and the list went on. Right now, working out legal matters such as Ryder's will and where Max would live were active. It wasn't exciting work, having to be present in court and such, but it would be useful in the end. Max had a good feeling about whether or not he would remain in his uncle's custody. More often than not, the man would be drunk and go on to beat either Ranger or Max. The former suffered more often than the latter. It was still enough to provide a case.

"So we're going back later today to see what the jury decided?" Ranger asked. Max nodded.

"Yeah. We're going back around four this afternoon to hear what they decided."

"What about backing for the PAW Patrol? Have you brought that up with the Mayor?"

Max shook his head. "I'm going to ask him about it we're all done with custody rights and all that. It wouldn't be plausible to try and start a team of dogs, only to find that we can't do it because my uncle wants us to stay where we can see him." Ranger stared at the floor for a moment while he worked it out in his head. Max smiled. "While you think about what I said, how about some lunch?" Ranger's ears perked at the mention of lunch. His tongue lolled out of the side of his mouth as he started to drool ever so slightly.

"That sounds amazing. What're we having?"

* * *

Max and Ranger stepped outside the courthouse, sighing deeply. It couldn't have gone better. It had taken some time, longer than expected, but the jury had decided that Max's uncle no longer had rights to keep Max in his custody. Max, for his part, was ecstatic. Ranger was also quite happy as well, yipping like a little puppy in excitement. They started walking towards City Hall, where Max would hopefully convince the mayor to allow him to restart the PAW Patrol. Max was hoping that the mayor would understand. Max had actually done some research, and the current mayor, Mayor Goodman, was a descendant of the mayor who was in-office during the time of the original PAW Patrol. Hopefully that would mean Max would get the backing he needed. Hopefully.

The teenager and his dog stopped in front of City Hall. The stone building remained largely unchanged, having been built by skilled artisans. Small repairs and paint touch-up were frequent, but otherwise the building remained like it had for most of the last few decades. The doors had been replaced, though, being upgraded to sliding doors from the conventional doors that had disappeared nearly twenty-three years ago. They glided open like two birds flying away from one another, allowing entry to Max and Ranger.

The ceiling wasn't terribly high, but still high enough that Max could jump with his arm outstretched and still not touch it. The floor was a cool marble that swirled and mixed like oil does with water. A row of computers graced the far wall from the entrance, inviting people to try and get a meeting with the mayor. There was a desk standing against the left wall, a pile of white paper and a cup of pens perched atop.

Max quickly made his way over to one of the computers, not having to wait. Almost no one was at City Hall, which was unusual. It wasn't unheard of, but it was unusual. Max scrolled through the information on the screen. He tapped a file and it opened instantly. He marked a few checkboxes until the screen said "Processing Request….Please Wait…." It was barely half a second when the screen disappeared. In its place it said "Request….Granted!" Nothing happened for a moment, until a little robot appeared. It moved by wheels, and was no taller than Max's knees. A screen on it read "Follow me", and it rolled away. Max and Ranger followed it until it stopped in front of a door labelled "Mayor Goodman". There was a moment of electric silence as computers conversed. The door slid open of its own free will, allowing the boy and his dog to enter. Mayor Goodman was sitting behind a desk, and two chairs were opposite him.

"Please, Max, take a seat. You as well, pup," the mayor said. The computer at which Max had entered information sent what was entered to the mayor, providing the man the boy's name. "How may I help you two today?" Max and Ranger sat down in the two empty chairs.

"Good afternoon, Mayor Goodman," Max replied. "I actually have a question for you." The mayor waved his hand, motioning for the boy to continue. "Are you familiar with the PAW Patrol?" Ranger noticed that this caught Mayor Goodman's attention, as well as threw him a little off-balance.

"Well, yeah. Of course I have, it's a valuable piece of this city's history. It brought changes for the better across the nation. I must say, though, I do wish that we had it again. I'm sure you heard on the news that a few days ago the bank was robbed. We're no closer to the suspects, but we have an idea on who it is." Max nodded.

"I saw that. I'm not sure if anyone in particular has told you, but I am the grandson of the boy who started the original PAW Patrol." It was Mayor Goodman's turn to nod.

"That's right. Wasn't there a court case just today about his will and such?"

"Yeah. What probably didn't get out was that he entrusted me with something far greater than his building and money. I'm going to restart the PAW Patrol, but I need your approval and backing."

The mayor spluttered with how fast he tried to get the words out. "W- well b-b-by all means! I'm with you all the way! How many pups do you have so far?"

That's when Ranger spoke up. "Well, me." Mayor Goodman turned his gaze to the German Shepherd sitting there.

"You? Any others?" he asked hopefully. Max shook his head.

"I figured that I should get your approval before I search for more. We already know where we can find a fire-pup, though." The mayor leaned back in his chair, nodding his understanding.

"Probably the best that you did. I take it you are already moved into the Lookout?" Max nodded. "Good. I'll send someone by to help you fi-"

"It's fine," Max interrupted. "I would rather fix it myself."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely."

The mayor waved his hand. "Well, if you ever need assistance, please contact me. It's the least I can do for someone who's reviving Adventure Bay's most successful rescue team. When do you think you'll start?"

"I'm not sure. I would like to try and get a full team before we start, so that could be anywhere between a few days to a few months. You'll be the first to know of any updates." The mayor nodded his thanks.

"Well, I wish you luck in finding new recruits."

"Thank you, sir," Ranger said.

"Yes, thank you. If we want to get this going, I'm afraid our meeting must be cut a little short. Do you mind?" Max asked.

"Oh, no, no, no, not at all! Please, let me see you out!" The mayor sat up out of his chair, and made it look like he was opening the door. Max and Ranger withheld snickers, and walked out.

* * *

"Are you sure this thing will fly?" Ranger asked. He was still dubious about most of the inventions at the Lookout, this particular one making him quite concerned. It was a plane, with rotating engines and the PAW Patrol logo on it.

"Do I need to repeat myself?" Max asked. The pup sighed.

"No, sir. 'If your grandpa built it, it could survive a war', if I recall correctly."

"Well, you recall correct." Max pushed a button on the ancient-looking plane causing the rear hatch to open. It moved with a groan, old metal grinding against itself. It opened entirely, stopping with a shudder. Ranger shuddered with the plane. Max strode purposefully inside, but Ranger was hesitant. Then again, he usually was. The boy left his dog to his own devices, and walked towards the cockpit. It was covered in a fine layer of dust, Max having just discovered the plane yesterday. He hadn't gone inside it, but he was hoping it would work. Possibly.

He froze as he saw a stationary figure in the pilot's seat, and he cautiously spun it around. He let go a breath he had been holding as he saw it was a robot. Well, a robot dog. It was mostly white, with a glass canopy where the eyes would go. It had dark blue, almost purple ears, with an orange collar and highlights. A light blue tag hung off the collar, with a paw on it that wasn't unlike the one on the PAW Patrol logo. Max stared at the robot dog for a good while. Coming to a decision, he reached a hand out. He had an idea on how to turn it on. He clicked the tag that was on the collar, but there was nothing. Max frowned, but then a deep _BONG!_ came from the metallic creature. A somewhat robotic sounding bark sounded, and the tag glowed. The glass canopy lit up, and two, holographic eyes appeared.

"Bark! Bark!" it said, a metal tongue coming out of its mouth. Ranger had walked up to the cockpit while Max was busy inspecting the metallic dog, and the poor German Shepherd jumped a little at the sound of the robot.

"Uh, sir, are you sure that's safe?" he asked. Max couldn't help but laugh.

"It has wheels for paws, and not a claw or tooth in sight. I think it's safe," the boy replied. Ranger looked unconvinced. Max turned back to the robot, and saw some small writing on its side. _Robo-dog_ , it read.

"So, you're Robo-dog then, huh?" asked Max. Robo-dog responded by barking out. "I guess so. Does this thing fly?" Max wasn't expecting much of an answer, so he was surprised when Robo-dog turned to the controls. It pushed a button, and the sound of engines filled the underground cavern. Robbo-dog flipped several switches, and pushed a button labeled "Door". Max heard the shriek of metal and looked up. Two plates were moving away from each other to let sunlight flood the cavern. The engines started roaring, and the plane started to lift. Ranger cast a fearful glance around the cockpit, his eyes setting on the benches and their seatbelts. He jumped onto one and securely fastened himself in. He didn't realize it, but he had buckled the seat that had the police star.

Max sat down in the co-pilot seat, amazed at how such an old plane could still fly. He too buckled himself in. The plane exited the cavern, but remained hovering above the grass. The brown-haired teen and his dog turned their heads as a screen came in from opposite sides of the plane, and connected in the middle. The screen went on almost instantly, and the same, young Ryder appeared on the screen.

"Hello again, young one. I see you have found the Air Patroller. I know I didn't mention it in the earlier video that you will have undoubtedly watched, but I did that for a reason. The only way to start the Air Patroller is if Robo-dog is online. Which, funny enough, he acts like a car when you turn him on. The only reason he powered on for you is because you will have a pup-pad. Robo-dog is programed to be able to fly to any city or coordinates that you have or want to go to or both. I know I used it quite a lot.

"For my team, the Air Patroller was irreplaceable. It is one of the fastest rescue planes in the world, although that will probably change in the future. Robo-dog is the only pilot you'll need. Don't worry about his battery or charging him, he charges automatically at the Lookout. He has a two-hundred hour battery life, something that took me a good while to figure out. So please, use him and the Air Patroller. I believe in you, young one." The screen went black. Max turned to Robo-dog, who was sitting there quietly.

"Robo-dog, take us to San Francisco. We have a pup to find." Robo-dog barked an acknowledgement, and turned the plane towards California.

* * *

 _ **A/N: So, it looks like Max and Ranger now officially have the Lookout and its technologies, even if they are outdated. For those of you eagle-eyed viewers, I'm not going to say what it is, but Ryder messed something up. It can be found in the first chapter, but that's all I'm going to say. Some of you might not get it, but it'll be explained in the next chapter. My goal is to try and get another chapter out when I get the time to write, which who knows when that'll be. Until then, this is TheMattdude signing off!**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: First off, I'd like to apologize with not getting any of my stories updated. I've had a very hectic and busy time, and haven't really gotten a good chance to write. I don't really have much to say, other than, enjoy!**_

* * *

The Air Patroller landed at the airport. Max and Ranger disembarked, looking around. Neither one of them had been outside Adventure Bay before, so the city was something impressive. Skyscrapers touched the sky like the eager fingers of a toddler reaching for a toy on the top shelf of a store. The roar of car tires could be heard coming from the streets like the buzz of angry bees. It was overwhelming for the two, to say the least. Ranger looked like he was about to lose his lunch at any moment, his anxiety worsened by the fact he was in a new place. He couldn't stand change.

"C'mon, Ranger," Max said, "we can't stay here forever." The boy started walking off. Ranger swallowed for the twentieth time in the two minutes they'd been there, and chased after his owner's retreating figure. Max was surprised that there was almost no air traffic or contact or anything of the sorts, but then again, they had landed at an old, abandoned airport. The runway was covered in dust, grass and potholes, deeming it a mine field for planes.

It hadn't been a problem for the Air Patroller, of course, since it could land like a helicopter. It now sat at the end of the runway, waiting to take off again. That could range anywhere from hours to weeks. Max wasn't worried though. He turned a concerned eye to his pup whose ears and tail were down. Without stopping, Max said, "Ranger, relax. No one is going to jump out and hurt you at any moment. It's alright to be a little nervous, but it's not good to be too high-strung."

"Easy for you to say, sir," Ranger replied, "but you can't even smell half of what I can smell. And I'm not liking most of them." Max sighed. Some things would never change, no matter where you went. He continued walking towards the gate. The best thing at this point would be to try and find a taxi. Just about all taxis these days were autonomous. Most cars were autonomous as well.

Forcing the old grate open, Max and Ranger slipped through. A highway ran close by the old airport. A small road also ran in front of the airport, but it looked as if it hadn't been used in at least a few years. It was cracked and covered in grass and dirt.

"Looks like we're walking, sir," Ranger said. Max nodded.

"Yes, yes it does."

They walked for half an hour. They followed the old road to see where it led to. Not a soul was found on or next to the road. Old buildings stood like sentries along the edges of the road, seeming as if they were going on with a silent salute. Max wished he had some sort of vehicle to drive. It would make it so much easier.

"Maybe we shouldn't have come here," Ranger said nervously. Max merely sighed again. "There's no one here. What if your Grandfather was wrong?" Max swung around to look Ranger in the eye.

"If I even knew my Grandpa just a little bit, I would know he was rarely wrong. He's right about this. I can feel it." The brown-haired boy turned on his heel and quickly walked off. Ranger hurried to follow him.

They walked in silence for a good while. Ranger didn't want to say anything else that might get his owner riled up. He instead looked to the buildings, where he noticed some changes going on. The buildings were started to become newer, without the feeling that they might collapse soon. The street itself also started to gain the same sense of newness. It grew smoother under foot without the ever-present weeds and grass. It wasn't long until they saw a car. It was an early electric car, looking to be a Tesla. Max recalled some of his history classes. Tesla had been one of the big pioneers in electric car production. He shook his head. Now wasn't the time to be thinking about history lessons.

"Is something wrong, sir?" Ranger asked, noticing Max shaking his head.

"Yeah," Max said distractedly, "just trying to stay on track." Silence reigned again. People were able to be seen walking around, as well as robots trying to convince the passerby that they needed the wares that were being sold. Most people were on their phones, talking to the holograms on the other line, or just watching videos on them. Max touched his pocket. He had one too, but was rarely on it. Then again, he didn't come from a big city.

The sidewalks were perfect, not a crack spreading across one. The street was smooth as glass, its perfect surface being driven across by a multitude of electric cars. Most of them were white, with a few silver cars sprinkled into the mix. They all had black and light-blue trim, such as door mirrors and window-lining. Most of the windows were tinted black, with a very rare exception flashing by with un-tinted windows. No one drove the cars, them being controlled by a central computer system.

Now that Max and Ranger were on the ground, they both decided that the buildings looked much taller. They stretched up and up and up, never seeming to end. They were constructed of a refined stainless steel and glass to create a sleek look. Max led the way, the amount of people on the sidewalk steadily increasing. Ranger had to step through the throng of legs, with the occasional glance of a dog drowning in the sea of people. One the Air Patroller Max had done some research and he knew where to go. With the backing of Mayor Goodman, Max's idea should work. Should.

"Sir, where are we going?" Ranger asked. He struggled to keep up with the teenage boy.

"To the fire department. They should have records of all staff and trainees, and we can go from there. I'm not quite where we can search for this 'Blate' fellow, but he should have something to do with the fire department here." Max broke off the sentence as a sign from a building stuck out like a sore thumb. It was a fireman's hat, with two crossed axes and a fire behind it. "Well, I guess we've found it," Max muttered to himself. He walked in, the door sliding open. Ranger slipped in right behind him. A young woman was sitting behind a desk in the lobby, which at this point in time was rare.

The firehouse itself was constructed in a more modern style. A well-made and furnished lobby let anyone come in, with the high ceiling acting to provide a feeling of airiness. The tile on the floor was white with hundreds of smaller tiles creating the logo that was supported on the front of the building. Fake quartz half-pillars came out of the wall all around the lobby creating the feeling of a scholarly environment. Unlike most buildings, though, there weren't little robots scurrying and driving around, doing the mundane little tasks no one else wanted. Potted plants sat in some of the corners, which was a rare decoration. Ranger went up to sniff one and was surprised that it was a real plant. The woman at the desk at blond hair, and a slim physique. She couldn't possibly be more than twenty years old. Dressed in a red shirt and black jeans, she managed to keep up the appearance that this fire department was a bit more casual than others.

"My name is Nasha, how may I help you?" the woman at the desk said. Max strode up to the desk so he wouldn't have to talk loudly.

"Hi, my name is Max Ryder. I'm looking for any staff or recruits who bear the last name 'Blate'?" He posed the statement as a question so Nasha would think that he was looking for a friend. She typed in a few letters, and clicked on a file. She turned the computer so both she and Max could see it.

"We have one trainee right now with the last name Blate, Emma. She is currently unavailable right now, but should be available in-" A _PING!_ interrupted her mid-sentence.

Nasha, Max, and Ranger all looked to an elevator that had opened. A small dalmatian walked out, wearing a small backpack. It was red and black, and Max was surprised that the pup also seemed to be wearing small amounts of makeup. The dally's top lip was a maroon red on the left side, with the right being black. The bottom lip was opposite, giving the appearance of a puzzle. A black spot covered one of its ears and around its right eye, almost like a burn scar.

And speaking of scars, the paws and legs were covered with them. Small lines where the fur would not grow back, and other parts looked to be actual burn scars. There were very few spots on the dalmatian's fur. Liquid blue eyes shined in their sockets, and to top it off, the pup was barely half the size as Ranger, who was above Max's knees for height.

Max quickly lost interest, turning back to Nasha. They were talking, but Ranger lost all train of thought about the pup they were looking for. Besides, they were looking for a guy, not a girl. The german shepherd continued to stare as the dally walked out of the elevator. She held Ranger's stare, and Ranger hoped that he had felt what had been a mutual feeling.

"Ranger," Max said, nudging the pup with his foot. Ranger shook his head.

"Yes, sir?"

"Are you okay?" Max asked.

"Certainly, sir. Never felt better." Max regarded his dog cautiously. He turned back to Nasha.

"Please continue," he said to the woman behind the desk.

"Yes, as I was saying, Miss Emma Blate is a trainee in our fight fire program, used to help us determine who joins the team next. Usually the top two graduate. Anyways, she is not available right now, as she is currently taking her final exam." The tiny dalmatian walked out of the building, casting a guarded glance back at Ranger and Max. Max, who was still talking with Nasha, didn't see the glance the pup cast. Ranger caught it though. He nudged Max's leg.

"Excuse me, but sir? Did you see that pup?" he asked.

"Yes I did," Max said quickly. He continued asking questions. "Do you have an address for Miss Blate?" Nasha nodded.

"We do, but I need identification before I can share that information," Nasha replied. Max bit his lip. A video his grandpa had created came to his mind.

* * *

" _As being leader of the PAW Patrol, young one, it should open up nearly any door. Whether it be police related, fire department related, nearly anything. It should open up to you._

" _Of course, your pups will play a big part in this. Ideally, they are the ones that have ties to each authority. A police pup and a fire pup are two of the most important pups, and should be someone you trust. Someone who has ties to people within the profession. Before you start searching for members, it is best you get permission from the current mayor. I am hoping you watch this before you go to the mayor, but if you have already gone, knowing that you would need to, it is vital that you asked for him to update your identification. It might seem like a meaningless task, but I am going to say it again, it is vital. Being identified as either a member or leader of the PAW Patrol sets most people at ease. At this point in time, or whenever you are working on this, the PAW Patrol is known nationally._

" _Many different cities and even states have adopted the ideas started by the PAW Patrol, through both selective breeding and technology. Dogs that can talk definitely are advantageous, as they can tell you exactly what they smell or notice. But I'm getting sidetracked. Anyway, the fact that most of the country has adopted tech developed originally for the PAW Patrol means that the name 'PAW Patrol' will be recognized warmly just about anywhere._

" _Again, I cannot stress how important it is to get this ID. Some people might laugh it off, but it is impossible to forge a copy ID of the PAW Patrol leader. I made sure of that. As technology improves there will be those who come very close but no one will be able to copy it exactly. I have taken large amounts of precautions towards it. Not even those with resources such as the CIA will be able to forge it. It can only come from the mayor of Adventure Bay, with certain protocols required. Please, as I cannot stress it enough, be sure to get your identification updated with this. Until the next set of instructions, young one."_

* * *

Max was glad he had called Mayor Goodman on the trip from Adventure Bay to California. The boy reached into his pocket to draw out his circular device. It was of his own design, and was quite useful at times. He depressed the center of the circle and held it up. A holographic screen appeared, with a card appearing. It had a photo of him, his name, and a number. It was more a combination of letters and numbers, spanning ten total digits. Each person in the country had their own number, meaning that the police would have a direct means of identifying someone. It helped dramatically with crime, as they were given out at birth.

Nasha peered closely at the number. Noting it down, she typed it into the computer. It was an efficient system to detect if someone was giving a fake number. It would almost always either be given to someone else, or ended up not being given to anyone at all. She clicked a couple of times and eventually spoke.

"The PAW Patrol?" she asked in a hushed voice. "You're the leader of the PAW Patrol?" She directed the second question to the boy. He nodded.

"I'm trying to bring it back. That's why I need Miss Blate's address." Understanding dawned in the woman's eyes.

"Of course." She typed furiously for a moment. "All right, Miss Blate's address is 4207 Crystal Avenue." Max nodded.

"Thank you m'am." He turned towards the door and started walking out. Ranger was right on the boy's heels. "Have a good day!" he called over his shoulder.

He just heard Nasha say before the door closed, "Thank you! You as well!" Now to find this address.

* * *

Max stood in front of the little house, Ranger by his side, as ever. It seemed to be slightly outdated, with wood siding and small windows. It couldn't have been more than two stories. The roof peaked at the top and covered a large front porch. It still conveyed a feeling of airiness in keeping with more modern buildings. Small pillars rose up from the floor of the porch and up to the roof, extending up nearly thirty feet. Doing quick calculations, Max figured that because it was slightly outdated it would be roughly fifteen feet high on each floor.

He and Ranger stepped up onto the concrete porch and to the door. It was made in the old style, having to push or pull it open. It was a light colored wood with glass making up the center. Almost like a picture frame. Max couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the literal doorbell. It hung from the doorframe and was a black bell. It appeared to be old steel, with a red train depicted on top of it. A steam train at that.

Max rang the bell. He winced at the ear-splitting _CLANG! CLANG!_ from it. There was a moment where nothing happened, only an expected silence being heard. One of the door latches rattled a brief moment before opening. A large dalmatian opened the door. Both Max and Ranger could tell instantly from the soft light in its eyes that it was a girl. An older one at that.

"May I help you?" she asked sweetly. Max answered her politely.

"Yes ma'am, is this the Blate residence?" The dalmatian answered cautiously.

"Indeed it is. And may I ask who you two may be?" She frowned slightly at Ranger. He shrank back behind his owner's legs.

"My name is Max," the boy continued, "and this is my dog Ranger. I'm re-forming the PAW Patrol, and I-"

"AAIIEEEE! Come in! Come in!" she said hurriedly, widening the gap between the door and its frame. Max allowed surprise to strike his face, but covered it up quickly. He stepped across the threshold with Ranger on his heels yet again. The female dalmatian shut the door, and walked further into the house. Max paused in the entrance, taking the interior of the house.

It was sparsely furnished, with an open entryway. A staircase was to his immediate left that went up to a second floor. Following the staircase with his eyes, Max noticed that right above him went straight up to the ceiling. The second floor was a little of a balcony. The entire house was a series of muted grays and browns with a shaggy white carpet in the den. Taking his shoes off to be polite, Max stepped onto the carpet. Even through his socks he could feel it was surprisingly soft. There were two gray chairs and a couch, so he took a seat in one of the chairs. He grunted slightly as Ranger jumped up into his lap.

"I think you're getting too big for that," Max said quietly. Ranger merely gave him his best "puppy eyes". Max couldn't think of an appropriate answer to that.

"Harold! Emma! Get in here!" Max and Ranger heard the female dalmatian excitedly shout. "These two gentlemen arrived here saying they are re-forming the PAW Patrol!"

"Really?!" a gruff voice said. The pair on the chair heard claws clicking on the polished wood floor. They looked, almost as if connected by an invisible wire, towards a small hallway. The female dalmatian walked out of the small hall, followed by a larger male dalmatian. He appeared to be of similar age to the female dalmatian, albeit slightly larger.

"I apologize for my behavior," the female dalmatian said. "I just thought the PAW Patrol was dead. I'm Marsha, by the way." The female dalmatian, whom now Max could refer to as Marsha, was interesting. She had only one spot, covering the area around her left eye. Both her eyes were a bright, liquid blue, reminding Max of the ocean. The male dalmatian spoke up.

"And I'm her husband, Harold. Although I'm sure you probably already heard that." He glanced sidelong at his wife who glared at him. Max looked closely at Harold. He had several scars across his legs, with a particularly nasty looking one along his back crossing over his spine twice. He had emerald green eyes, and had more black than white one his fur. His rough and scratchy voice led Max to believe that he was a firedog.

"A member of the PAW Patrol was my grandfather," Marsha continued, "whom I'm named after. His name was Marshall, and he was the firedog of the team. Surprisingly, most of my family aren't firefighters. I guess that's kinda why I married this guy." She gave a teasing glance at her husband. He returned it with a grin.

"So, what did you come here to ask?" Harold asked with his rough voice. "Are you looking for a firedog? I might supplement the team." He added that last part with what Max thought was arrogance. Plus, he was also looking for a younger pup.

"Yes, I am looking for new members," Max said. He added the next part carefully. "But, I was thinking someone else. I figure your city needs someone as adept as you," Max finished with a wink. Harold laughed heartily at the jibe.

"Oh, that's probably the nicest thing anyone's said to me!" He laughed again. "No need to be so formal here…" He trailed off, not knowing the boy's name.

"Max," the teen replied.

"Max! I had a brother in-law named Max. Terrific fellow. So how else may we help you?"

"Well," Max said, "I was curious if you two had any pups. Any sons?" Max phased the last question with an air of caution. It never did well to offend someone without realizing it.

"Just pup, for now," Marsha said, a paw going to her stomach. "And speaking of pup, where is she? Excuse me a moment." Max and Ranger both barely had time to cover their ears before she shouted, "Emma, get down here NOW!" Marsha turned a regretful face to the pair. "Sorry, she has a habit of getting into her own little worlds. You know, music and such. She's a little shy, but don't try to score compassion points with her, she'll take advantage of you before you can say 'How long does it take for a firepup to fight fire fiercely?'"

Small pawsteps came from the stairway, causing Max and Ranger to have to turn around to see who it was. When the pup reached the bottom of the stairs, two things happened. Max looked at her with mild surprise. Ranger, on the other hand, couldn't help but let his jaw drop.

For there, standing at the bottom of the steps, was the pup they had seen not three hours earlier.

* * *

 _ **A/N: And there it is, chapter 3! I hope you all enjoyed it, as I know I enjoy writing this story. I'm glad to see that there are several people who commented positively, and I would just like to thank you guys for support. If I made mistakes such as grammar or spelling errors, please let me know. I try to make my stories as mistake-free as possible! One last thing though, as a quick question, what do you guys prefer, longer time between uploads coupled with longer chapters, or shorter wait times and shorter chapters? I've been trying to keep chapters upwards of 3,000 words, but it does mean it takes a little longer between uploads. Until then, this is TheMattdude signing off!**_


	4. Chapter 4

The pup whimpered in fear. He never liked this stupid city. His gaze fell upon the dogs blocking his only route of escape. They were two bulldogs, absolutely massive. Each one was the size of a small child with scars from fights decorating their faces and chests. The bulldog on the left was black, with the only break in color being brown on his front left paw. On the right the bulldog was a mix of white and brown.

"What 'ave we got 'ere for us, Marley?" the black bulldog said. The second one answered in a similar manner of speaking.

"Looks like we got us some filthy mutt we got to clean, Henrick." The two smiled at the gray mixed breed. The pup was thin, always having to "pay" for protection from these two.

"Please, don't," begged the mixed breed, crying. "I'll get you double next time, just please don't!" His voice was barely above a whisper, his fear dampening it.

"This 'as 'appened too many," the bulldog named Marley said. "It's been a while since we cleaned your stinkin' hide." They stepped closer to the poor mixed breed. He tried to shrink away, the wall of the alley kept him from escaping. The dog named Henrick laughed.

"You can't get 'way from us 'ere!" Tears escaped from the mixed breed's different colored eyes, one brown and one blue.

"Please...don't…" he said quietly between sobs. He closed his eyes, waiting for the worst. He sensed a paw was on its way before he felt it. It slid across his muzzle, drawing blood from his nose. The stench of brass filled his sense of smell, and he felt the blood trickling down his throat. Another paw hit him and raked down his shoulder. He screamed in numb pain as hot blood travelled down his leg and splattered on the ground. A violent, sharp pain made itself clear as one of the bulldogs drove his paw into the mixed breed's ribs. Another pain, white hot, made itself clear in his ear, setting his nerves on fire. He felt something hit his face, and he cleared his eyes momentarily to see a piece of his own ear on the concrete.

Pain was spread across his body as the two bulldogs scratched and bit and hit him. Vaguely, the _zzzing_ of a knife being drawn could be heard, but the mixed breed was floating in and out of consciousness. Feebly he tried to get up and was rewarded with a paw slamming his head to the ground. Dizzy, half-conscious and in pain, he couldn't do anything to help himself. Something shiny reflected dully in the afternoon sun.

"Mayb'e this'll teach you a less'n!" one of the bulldogs shouted. The mixed breed couldn't see who it was through the tears stinging his eyes. He barely felt his front right leg being yanked and pressed against the concrete. He numbly cried out in pain as he felt something bite into the joint between his forearm and pastern. It didn't stop though. It kept burning, kept biting as he felt waves of pain and nausea hit him. A grating sensation shot up his leg and reverberated throughout his body. He lost consciousness as he saw the two blurry bulldogs left, laughing with one another.

* * *

"Who are you two?" the dalmatian named Emma said. Her fur looked to be slightly damp, any trace of makeup gone. Ranger couldn't help but settle his gaze on the scars surrounding the pup's paws.

"Emma! Mind your manners!" Marsha said fiercely. She was rewarded with an eye roll, and Max decided it best to intervene.

"My name is Max, and this dog here," he gestured to the german shepherd on his lap, "is Ranger. We're-" He got cut off by Marsha's excited voice.

"They're restarting the PAW Patrol!" she said breathlessly. Emma looked between Max and her mother, confused.

"Okay?" she asked. Marsha scoffed. "What? The PAW Patrol was who knows how long ago. I don't see them helping now." Max noticed a light in her eyes. He grinned at her.

"Which is why I was looking for members. My grandpa told me that I could find a pup with the last name 'Blate'. I get the feeling you're pretty capable at firefighting." At this, Emma couldn't help but toot her own horn.

"I am more than capable. I'm top of my class!" she said proudly. She was pleased to find the pup smiled.

"That's cool!" Ranger said excitedly. Max debated whether or not to raise an eyebrow at his pup, but decided against it.

"Well, how would you feel about joining the PAW Patrol?" Max asked. Emma's expression changed to something Max had never seen before.

"Well, I don't know," Emma said nervously. "I've never been out of San Francisco before…" Her voice trailed off.

"You should do it, dear," Marsha said confidently. "You remember reading about them in your history books? The PAW Patrol is the reason you're working to be a firefighter." Emma turned a confused eye to her mother.

"How? I thought pups were just able to do it all the time."

Marsha couldn't help but give an amused look at her daughter. "Well, not quite. The PAW Patrol was the first all-pup rescue team, which is what lead the rest of the country to catch on. It's the reason why now you see all-dog fireteams, police units, construction workers, that sort of stuff." Emma gave a look of such confusion that Max barely contained his laughter. His face didn't show any sign of his amusement though. Which was quite a feat in itself.

The blue-eyed pup looked at Max and Ranger. "So you guys want me to join a team that is all-pups, and helps people where?" Max pushed Ranger off his lap. Ranger, for his part, looked up at his owner scornfully. The boy wisely ignored the look.

"Adventure Bay. The home of the original PAW Patrol. I know it's far away from here, but I didn't come here looking for any pup to fill in spots." He took out the Pup Pad. He tapped it once, and turned it for Emma to read. Glancing at her parents, she read it aloud.

"'Your first recruit isn't a brute. Through ash and smoke, you can rely on this bloke. Just look to the sky, where there is smoke on-the-fly. Look to the golden gate, and look for the last name of Blate.'" She looked to Max. "It says here to look for a 'bloke'. And I don't know if you noticed, but I'm not a 'bloke'." She added the last statement with a little heat in her voice.

"I know," Max said, nodding, "but my grandpa made those instructions a few years ago. He was just guessing, and now I realize you're probably the pup he was talking about. Even if you aren't a bloke as it were." The small pup regarded him carefully.

"I'm not yet qualified as a firefighter." Max merely shrugged off her comment.

"I wasn't too worried about it. You have the training, and Nasha says you're fairly competent." The boy winked so only Emma would see it. She couldn't help but allow a little bit of a smile to ease its way onto her face.

"If you wait another two days I think it is, I'll probably be qualified. I had my final today, and so now I have to wait a few days until I get results."

"But won't you be depriving the fire team here of a pup?"

Emma shook her head. "Only the top two get put on the team immediately, although most of the other students are qualified firefighters. If I leave they'll just take the next in line as a firedog."

"That's an interesting way of running it," Max observed. This time Harold answered.

"Aye, but it works. Saves 'em paperwork and time. Most of the folks at the station don't like to spend too much time doing paperwork. Gives 'em headaches," the rough voice answered. Max nodded. It made sense.

"So," the boy said after a few moments of silence, "would you like to join the PAW Patrol?" Emma looked at him, then turned a concerned look to her parents.

"I don't know...I don't think that-"

"Honey, we both think you should do it," Marsha said lovingly. Harold raised an eyebrow as he looked lopsided at his wife, but nodded his head after a moment.

"You'd still be able to visit them for holidays, permitting there aren't any emergencies." Emma looked between her parents and Max, conflicting emotions working in her mind.

"What about my friends? What will I do without them?" This time Max shrugged.

"I don't know of a way to bring your friends with you. But you can call them whenever you like. I don't have any qualms about that." Emma still looked unconvinced. Then Harold spoke up.

"Emma, I know you might not want to leave. But I think you're destined for greater things than trying to help here." He laughed at his own joke. "I think your old dad here can handle the city. Plus, Bruquette wanted to be on the team. Remember her scores?" That was the final straw to push Emma to a decision. She might not have been totally willing to go with the stranger she met an hour ago, but concern for her friend pushed her to decide.

"I'll join the PAW Patrol," she said with a little bit of a sigh. Harold gave a content smile at his daughter. She might enjoy showing off and bragging, but always put friends and family first. Max smiled and knelt down to pet Emma on the head.

"Thank you," he said. "For helping me resume where my grandfather left off, and for probably more than I know. Emma smiled weakly.

"I've always wanted to see more of the country," she lied. Although the lie wasn't fully complete.

* * *

Marsha and Harold were gracious enough to have let Max and Ranger stay with them for the two days they were waiting for Emma's score. They had a guest room, decorated in many of the same grays and browns as the main rooms of the house. The bed was soft and warm, and Max at one point during the night had to take off the blankets because of his dog's hot body. Max couldn't help but giggle slightly at Ranger's sleeping position. It never failed to amuse the boy. The german shepherd would curl up into a tight ball, somehow managing to tuck his head in between his legs and wrapping his tail around his neck. It gave him the appearance of being headless.

The second night was much like the first, with the exception of Max's snoring. Ranger was kept awake, no matter how long he tried to fall asleep. By morning he looked utterly exhausted, while his owner was refreshed. The german shepherd ended up falling asleep at nearly three in the morning, and his owner decided to let him sleep.

Max for his part, spent the two days educating Emma about the PAW Patrol, as well as Marsha. He did find it a little odd that Marsha had been so inviting of him and Ranger when they had never even seen each other before, but he knew better than to complain.

It was the day Emma was expecting to receive her exam scores. Everyone in the house noticed her buzzing with excitement while pretending to not care. It was rather amusing to Max. He was sitting on the couch in the living area, reading some of the information that had been on his grandfather's computer. The names had interested him, particularly when Marsha had said her grandfather's name was Marshall. It matched the name under the "Members" file of the PAW Patrol.

Opening the file named "Marshall", Max started reading.

 _Marshall Flower VanderSteal is the fire rescue pup of the PAW Patrol. His eagerness to help those in trouble make him one of the most valued members of the team, even if he doesn't know it. Bringing a light and humor filled attitude to the PAW Patrol helps those around him to relax and not focus too much on their duties. Surprisingly, he was never technically qualified as a firefighter or fire dog, but when I met him he showed such knowledge in fire and techniques to fight them that I took him on as a member. And that was after I adopted him as a stray._

 _He suffers from amnesia, which only I and Chase know about. Not being able to remember his parents, he just always assumed that they had abandoned him because they didn't want him. I had researched what I could about his last name, and came across something quite frightening. He had a whole family, but sadly, they all died. His parents, being firefighters, died in a fire. How his brother and sister died remains elusive at this time, and I get the feeling that someone is trying to hide something. I never told him, mostly for his own protection. I don't know if I made the right choice or not._

 _He was born and raised in South Detroit, Michigan. That much he can remember. He doesn't have any real living relatives, with only a sketchy uncle living in and out of prison. I never shared that with either, for fear of what he would do if he found out. I have lived with him for a long time. I have learned that even though he appears to always be cheerful, he hides something painful. He said so to me after he tried to run away._

 _I still remember his words, even though he told them to me what feels like ages ago. He said to me, "Ryder, I'm scared. I feel like I keep trying to fit in where I don't belong, my clumsiness helping nothing. When I heard the others talking, and I thought they were talking about me, I felt like I had been shattered. When Chase said 'That pup can't do anything right,' I felt like I had been slapped. I didn't know they were talking about a TV show, I thought they were talking about me. When I heard Chase's voice I just collapsed like a house of cards."_

 _Throughout our entire friendship after that day, I realized just how insecure he was. I always saw him casting worried glances to the others. The only one he felt secure with was Everest. She wasn't around when Marshall ran away, and the others never filled her in. When they told me in private that they had become mates I knew that Marshall had found the one security in his life. I had the joy of watching both of them grow up and raise pups of their own, and Marshall is one of the best father figures one could ask for. Recently though, he came to me again. It wasn't unlike the time he came to me after he ran away. This time though brought something a bit more concerning. One of his pups died when they were two years old, and it was suicide that killed her. He came to talk to me, and he was shaken up badly. He told me that at one point in time suicide was one thing that he very well considered and almost did. It was frightening for me because he seemed to launch into a depression._

 _Everest tried talking to him, Chase tried talking to him. Everyone tried to talk to him. He just shut down and shut everyone out. The only people whom he would allow talk to him were me and his pup Ace. I can't see into the future, but I know I should be worried. He has always felt insecure now that I look back on it. Most likely from his amnesia. Even his daughter who's still around, Winter. He barely talks to her. He told me that he doesn't know what to do. That he feels so disconnected with her after his other daughter killed herself. I have seen a little improvement, but not as much as I'd hoped to see._

 _This name file, this particular one, is what lead to the idea. I figured I'd write about my pups and what they're going through to just help those dealing with them or their offspring. Some traits are hereditary, and so I thought it would be a good idea to place them here now that the PAW Patrol is done._

Max stared at the contents of the file. It was hard to think that a member of the PAW Patrol could have struggled like that and still deal with helping others. He stared at the screen blankly when Marsha decided to walk in. Having gotten to know the boy over the past few days, she noticed that he was usually cheerful and always thinking, so she knew something was up.

"Max, dear, what's wrong?" she said, motherly care in her voice. Max looked Marsha in the eye.

"I was reading a file that my grandfather, Ryder, had written. It was concerning your grandpa." This struck Marsha's curiosity.

"Oh? And what might it be about to put you in such a down mood?" Max sat a moment before answering.

"It was about who my grandpa learned about that was hiding in Marshall. I didn't know him, and I didn't know much about him, but it's odd. My grandfather was writing about how insecure he felt, and how he struggled with depression and all these other things that apparently wasn't well known." Marsha smiled sadly.

"My father told me all about it. As much as I shouldn't say it, Emma struggles with it as well. We never talk about it, but I've noticed it. My father had something similar. That was why I'm pushing her to join you. I know it'll be good for her to do what she loves with people who know how to help in the right ways."

"Thank you for that information," Max said eventually. "I'll do my best to help her." Marsha smiled, knowing that Max would keep that promise.

"I know you wi-" she started, but a loud scream interrupted them. It came from upstairs, and Marsha ran up. Max was right behind her. Knowing the house inside and out, Marsha reached her daughter's bedroom in almost no time at all. Max was a ways behind her, even though it was a small house.

"What is it, Emma? Are you okay?" Marsha asked rapidly. She calmed down, seeing that she wasn't bleeding or convulsing on the floor.

Emma looked up, a pink blush spreading across her face. "Y- yeah. Just excited!" She leapt off the bed and hugged her mother, who was still trying to process everything.

"What are you excited for?" she asked. Emma nearly burst from excitement.

"I got a perfect score! Almost no one gets perfect scores!"

"Did my little girl just say she got a perfect score?" Harold's voice boomed from downstairs. Emma raced to the stairs and seemingly hovered down them, moving at breakneck speeds. She barely paid heed to her mother's warning as she rocketed into the kitchen and to her father.

"I sure did!" Emma shouted, shoving her face into her father's fur. Ranger came cautiously into the kitchen, worried about the level of noise. He didn't really like loud noises. "I did it!" Emma cried again, launching herself to Ranger. Without paying attention to his surprised and fearful expression, she hit him with such force that he toppled over backwards. She squeezed him so tightly he was certain one of his ribs would crack.

"I did it!" she yelled again, using Ranger to spring away. The german shepherd grunted as the wind was driven from his lungs. She started jumping up and down, turning in circles as she did so. Ranger looked to the side of the kitchen to see Max and Marsha standing there, an amused expression on both their faces. He trotted over to them, keeping head and ears down. He just wished should would stop shouting, but couldn't help but feel happy for her. Apparently her class had been difficult. She finally stopped to catch a breath, and looked at Max.

She posed a question that startled most of them, considering what she had been celebrating.

"When do we leave?"

* * *

 _ **A/N: So there you have it, Chapter 4! I hope you enjoyed, it was kind of fun kinda depressing to write this chapter. Today I managed to get a whole ton of time to work on this chapter, and I went from probably 400 to 3,400 words just from today. Also, I was looking through some of the comments and I noticed one from Entity of Spite. Now, I could answer most of your questions now, but I won't. Not because I don't like you, but because I think my story should allow questions to be answered, not me as the author. Don't know when I'll be able to get the next chapter up, but hopefully I can do it sooner than later. Until then, this is TheMattdude signing off!**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/N: Shorter chapter, even though it's been wayyyy too long since my last update. But, I am working on pre-writing another story and it is (I want to say) mostly complete. Hopefully I can continue working on it and get it out soon. All that aside, enjoy!**_

* * *

The floor shook, engine noise seeming to come from everywhere. The world was thousands of feet below. Nausea struck Emma, and she struggled to stay upright. The entire plane shook, causing her to stumble. She looked enviously at Max and Ranger who seemed unaffected. The german shepherd kept glancing at her, then hurriedly turned away as he realized Emma was watching him. Max was busy reading something on the Pup Pad, as he called it.

She couldn't figure out why she agreed to this in the first place.

Respect, technology, it could've been her's. She had the top score in the academy, which was for the most part a guarantee at being accepted onto a firefighting team. Now she was stuck in the sky in a metal can from decades ago. Not the most satisfying decision she had ever made.

"Where are we even going?" she whined. Max looked up to her.

He thought a moment. "Well, wherever our next recruit is going to be." This earned a moan from Emma.

"I hate flying," she mumbled to herself. Max had already went back to the Pup Pad. The small dalmatian had brought up a good point. They had been in the air for roughly an hour, staying out above the ocean. And Max didn't know where they were going next. He had mostly been researching as much as he could about depression and insecurity, trying to figure out ways to help Emma.

After the pup had gotten her exam score, she had been bubbling over with excitement. They had spent an extra day with the Blate family, making sure Emma was prepared for the journey. She already had fire fighting equipment, which once she had explained to the fire station what she was planning on doing, had graciously let her have. Her father also had deep ties to the fire station. It was sitting in the back of the Air Patroller, for lack of other places to put it.

Max swiped a couple of times on the Pup Pad. He was fooling around, seeing what it could and couldn't do, when the screen changed. It went white, and black lettering slowly started to appear. He stared at it for a full minute before calling out to the pups.

"Emma, Ranger," he said, continuing to look at the Pup Pad. The two looked up at him at the mention of their names. He finally looked up at the two of them. They sat on opposite sides of the Air Patroller making it difficult for max to look between them. He somehow managed it though.

"It looks like we have a set of instructions of where our next recruit is." Robo-dog, quiet up until this point, let out an excited bark. Emma jumped at the sound, not realizing it made noise. She had already looked at it incredulously when Max explained its purpose.

Max swiped up on the Pup Pad, causing the massive screen serving as the back wall turn on. Its screen displayed the same as the Pup Pad.

An old voice came on, and both Max and Ranger recognized it as Ryder's voice.

" _Your second pup isn't incompetent, but mostly repetent. 'I need that!' will echo, and many headaches will come from this tech-o. The home of blues and jazz is where to go, for a pup who can help, all you do is listen for the 'yelp!',_ " he said. Emma looked between Max and Ranger.

"He's no great shakes at coming up with good rhymes, is he?" she asked.

Ranger nodded in agreement. "Yeah, he's terrible. This is the second time in a row now as well."

Emma looked at the screen with a frightening gaze, and Ranger whimpered slightly at the heat in her voice. "I still can't get over the fact he called me a bloke. I'm not near as ignorant as one." She looked at Ranger and Max. The german shepherd had a light of challenge in his eyes, and the boy had a mock hurt expression on his face. "Current party excluded, of course," she added quietly.

"Of course," Max said with a smile. Emma couldn't help but shiver at the fact the smile never reached his eyes. She broke off eye contact with him.

"So does this old-sounding man-"

"My grandpa," Max interrupted. Emma huffed at him.

"So does your 'grandpa' have instructions for every member, or was it just for me and this random pup whom he gave no clear name?"

Max looked blankly at her for a moment. "I don't know," he finally admitted, "this one caught me by surprise. I don't think there are any others." Emma eyed him carefully. She hated uncertainty.

"Well," Max continued, "Looks like we're going to Louisiana." This caused Ranger's head to snap up. Max didn't notice though. He was busy looking at the set of instructions. He raised an eyebrow as he read more closely.

"What are you thinking, Max, sir?" Ranger asked. Emma stifled a giggle.

Max held his hands out at the screen. "Looking at what my grandpa says, it appears that we're looking for someone who has skills with technology. I don't know why we'd need a pup like that, nor do I know why we're supposed to be looking in Louisiana."

"Why are we going to Louisiana, sir? It doesn't tell us to go there." Emma stifled another giggle, and Ranger glared at her. Max pretended not to notice.

"Well, Louisiana is considered to be the home of blues and jazz, at least the surrounding area."

"Oh," Ranger said. He looked Max in the eye. "My mom said that her mom said she was from Louisiana, sir." Emma couldn't help it this time, and burst out laughing. Max glared at her.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

Emma, trying to gain control over her emotions, finally managed to answer after a few moments. "When you call him 'sir' at the end of almost every sentence, that's what's funny. Why not just call him 'Max'?"

"Because unlike some others, Max deserves respect as our leader." Ranger lifted his nose in the air, closing his eyes as he did so. In his mind he looked pretty good. Handsome even. It didn't take Emma very long to burst that bubble though.

"Smell something? Must not be very pleasant." Ranger's head snapped to the dalmatian, who quickly adopted an innocent look. Ranger continued to glare at her.

Max, noting the tension, deemed it wise to not say anything. He turned to the robotic pilot dog.

"Robodog," he said, "take us to Louisiana."

* * *

They landed in Louisiana in just a few hours. It was handy having the Air Patroller, Max thought. It meant they didn't have to pay for any tickets. Being leader of the PAW Patrol had its advantages.

Emma and Ranger glared at one another for the umpteenth time that flight. They had just landed the Air Patroller, but even that didn't break the tension between the two. Max looked between them wearily. The current "glare off" as Max was calling it now was the result of a comment related to Ranger's parents. Emma told him that his grandpa at one point was gay and had sex with another guy, and Max could almost see the anger steaming out of the pup's ears. Ranger had a quick retort to that.

Max wasn't sure how Ranger knew Emma's insecurity. The german shepherd had probably taken a wild stab in the dark, shouting at her "At least I'm wanted." Not a word had passed between either of them since that argument. Max had tried to ease the two, saying that neither statement was true and they needed to apologize. They continued to stare into each other's souls, wishing harm to the other.

A tense silence had been the result for the past half an hour. Even as they landed and Max stood up, neither of them made any move to copy the boy. Max sighed.

"Ranger, Emma, please stop. We're here." Ranger spoke without looking. .

"I'm not going anywhere with this marshmellow." Emma looked like she got slapped. Tears were forming in her eyes. She didn't say anything, but jumped off the bench and ran to the back of the plane. The hatch was open, and she launched out of it. She scrambled across the empty runway, collapsing into the grass on the edge of it. She curled into a tight ball, and started crying.

Meanwhile, Max scolded his dog. "Ranger, I don't know what your problem is, but you need to knock it off! Emma has enough problems as it is, I don't need you adding to it!" Max didn't shout, but the tone in his voice was as taught as a whipcord.

Ranger's face broke down as he realized what he'd done. He still didn't want to talk to that infernal dalmatian, but he was mature enough to understand when he was in the wrong. "I'm sorry, sir," he said, his head dropping to the floor. "I shouldn't have said what I said." Max regarded his dog carefully for several seconds.

"Thank you. But I'm not the one you should be apologizing to. I want you to stay here while I go to find Emma, and you had better be ready to apologize to her when I bring her back." Ranger nodded, keeping his eyes to the floor. Max left the plane to find the tiny dalmatian.

Emma sniffled to herself. "I'm going to kill that idiot. I'm gonna kill him. He had no right to talk to me like that, no right," she said to herself again and again. A hollow feeling had entered her heart. The words "At least I'm needed", and the image of the stuck-up german shepherd fluttered around her mind. It echoed, bouncing around over and over, again and again.

"Emma!" she heard Max call. She didn't want to speak to him either. He had done nothing for her while that idiot german shepherd yelled at her and called her names. "Emma?" Max called again. She heard his footsteps approaching. Her nose was quivering as she tried to control her feelings. "Emma?" Emma barely heard Max call the last time. Thoughts about what to do fought one another in her mind. "Stay here, ignore those good for nothing jerks," one side seemed to say. "No, go to them. Apologize, they'll understand," the other side seemed to say. Emma hated these thoughts. They were always there, always arguing.

"Stupid black and white fur," Emma muttered. She knew it wasn't really her fur's fault. But it made her feel slightly better being able to blame something other than her mind. It never worked for long though.

She started shivering. Small tremors running through her body at first, but then turning into massive shudders that were visible. Fresh tears started rolling down her face and dampening her fur. Choking sobs escaped her despite her attempts at stopping them.

She heard paw steps from dozens of feet away. A light jingle accompanied the ticking of claws on concrete.

"Emma?" Ranger's voice echoed. "Emma, I'm sorry!" he called. The dalmatian's shivering lowered from shudders to slight tremors.

"Emma? I didn't mean it. I didn't mean it…" Emma screwed her eyes shut and ground her teeth together. Decisions like this felt like they tore her apart.

Reluctantly, the small pup came out of her hiding spot. She lingered a moment by the bush, then coming to a decision, strode forward with determination. Ranger was climbing back into the Air Patroller when he gave one last look out over the runway. His eyes fell to the black and white pup. His tail started wagging, even though his eyes maintained that hard light of anger.

Emma strode right up to the german shepherd, and looked him in the eye. It didn't help she was shorter, nor the fact that he was higher on the Air Patroller's loading ramp. Ranger couldn't help but shiver in slight fear at the anger in the dalmatian's eyes. He found himself regretting-

He never saw the blow that struck him coming.

Emma's paw collided squarely with Ranger's throat, causing it to close. His eyes dimmed slightly as the shock of the blow traversed throughout his body. The pup's legs crumpled beneath him as his lack of oxygen and the sheer force of the blow turned off part of his brain. He was left writhing on the ramp as Emma whispered in his ear.

"Don't ever call me marshmallow again. _Ever_." All Ranger could manage was a feeble nod in recognition. She strode the rest of the way into the Air Patroller as Ranger slowly regained his breath.

* * *

Ranger walked into the Air Patroller with a paw around his throat. Max and Emma were both staring at him intently. The boy had a tired look on his face, making him look much older. The dalmatian had a look of grim satisfaction, which consisted of her grinning madly at the shepherd's discomfort. He decided he didn't like that gaze. They had been sitting there for nearly ten minutes before Max spoke up.

"Well, I know you two are working on bonding still, but we need to find that pup. I've been doing research about the immediate area we landed in, and it might be a bit older."

"How much older?" Emma asked, curious. Max made a "so-so" gesture with his hand.

"Not exactly sure. Probably from when this Air Patroller was built." Emma's eyes widened for a moment as she looked away with a sigh. Ranger raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything.

"The town is only about half a mile away. There are a lot of trees between us and the town, which is why we can't see it," Max continued.

"Well then," Emma said energetically, "what are we waiting for? Christmas? I don't know about you, but I can't wait that long!" She jumped off the seat and started walking to the back of the Air Patroller. Max and Ranger stared after her as she walked away.

Ranger gave a sigh of resignation. "Shall we follow her, sir?" he asked.

"May as well," Max replied. They walked off, jogging slightly when they found her already nearly a hundred feet ahead of them.

Emma, hearing the approaching foot and pawsteps, turned around and stopped. She couldn't help but grin. "Glad you guys could make it. Now can we hurry?"

* * *

 _ **A/N: So a bit more of a "bonding" chapter (if it can be called that...) to just bridge some time and create tensions. Hopefully the next chapter doesn't take so long, but I have no guarantees over when I can get it out. Until then, this is TheMattdude signing off!**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N: "What? He's back already?" Yes, I'm back. I know it hasn't been the customary several weeks, but I've been working my fingers to death getting this typed up for you. If I made any mistakes, such as grammar/spelling errors, please let me know! Enjoy!**_

* * *

It was a small city, if you could even call it one. There was a handful of buildings that cleared one hundred-fifty feet, with the rest all under the "modern" height of one hundred feet. A few of the buildings almost looked ramshackle, with several cracked windows and cracks in the walls themselves. The occasional wood building skulked among the larger metal-and-glass buildings. Only twenty buildings total created the town, sidewalks were cracked with grass and weeds trying to defy humanity's attempt at building up a city. It was a battle it appeared to be winning.

There wasn't very many people walking around the town either. Only the occasional person or pup walked by staring at a screen of some sort. Emma looked around curiously. She had never been outside San Francisco before, and was amazed at just the difference between the town and her city. Max was looking around as well, trying to see where a pup might be. Ranger was just looking straight ahead while walking next to his owner.

"So, Max," Emma said, "who are we looking for?" She ran up next to him and looked up.

"I'm not sure," Max said. "I'm just keeping an eye out to see anyone we may need. Or who fits the description we have." Emma looked down at the ground in thought. It made sense, it was obvious, and yet she couldn't believe she forgot. "It's never wrong to ask if you can't remember," Max said. Emma merely stared at him. How he guessed exactly how she was feeling was beyond her.

Emma went in-line behind Max as two bulldogs came walking towards them. They were fairly large, and were laughing with each-other. Emma stared directly at Max's legs, being familiar with street bullies. As they drew near, the bulldog on the left pushed his friend.

Right into Emma.

The bulldog that crashed into her stepped back and immediately got angry. "Watch where you're going, mutt!"

Emma, even though she knew who was really at fault merely apologized. "Sorry, I should've been watching where I was going."

"Your damn right you should've! You puny marshmallow!" Emma felt her breath catch in her throat. She worked to calm herself down with a breathing technique she taught herself.

She was about to respond when Ranger stepped in. "Sorry, sir, but could you please move on? She said she was sorry." The bulldog, whom Emma finally noticed was all black except for his front left paw, which was brown.

"And who do you think you are, shorty?" Ranger looked at Emma.

"I'm her friend," he said simply, turning back to the bulldog.

"Naw! How cute!" the other bulldog said, whom was white and brown. "Looks like Marshmallow has a boyfriend!" Emma's eyes narrowed at the bulldog who said that. He sneered at her.

"Hey, you two, back off!" Max said forcefully. He had been absorbed into the pup-pad, reading the set of instructions over and over again. Naturally, all four dogs took a step back at his tone of command. Then the black bulldog stepped forward angrily.

"Your damn mutts need to watch where they're goin'!" Max glared harshly at the bulldog.

" _You_ need to watch what you're saying. They are not mutts, and they were out of your way. So move along. C'mon pups." Max started briskly walking away, Ranger following immediately. Emma gave one more glare at the bulldogs. Fire was in her eyes as she made sure to remember their faces. Then she trotted after Max.

"Are you alright?" Ranger asked after a few minutes.

"Me?" Emma asked. Ranger nodded. "I'm fine." Ranger raised an eyebrow.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." Ranger shrugged, and ran forward to Max's side. Emma stayed behind them, staring at her paws.

In truth, she wasn't fine. She had dealt with street dogs like them before. They were always the same. At least the street dogs in San Francisco knew she was a firefighter. That usually earned her a bit more respect. And they called her _marshmallow_! What sort of position were they in to call her marshmallow?

Emma felt her head bump into something. She shook it, and slowly looked up, an apology already coming out of her mouth.

"Oops. Sorry, M-" It wasn't Max. A stranger looked down at her. He was wearing a ratty, white T-shirt that was stained different colors. He had very short, silver hair. He had deep-set eyes and sharp facial features, with bright blue eyes. His shorts were torn in some places, with the edges around his knees frayed. He was wearing boots that appeared to be steel-toe, and had gotten a lot of wear.

"Are you alright?" he asked. His voice sounded very throaty, with his teeth nearly touching.

"Y- yeah, I'm fine," Emma said. She looked around quickly, but coudn't see Max or Ranger.

"Are you looking for someone?" he asked.

"Um...yeah." Emma saw his eyes fill with a caring light.

"Can you describe him?"

"Yeah, h- he's about fourteen, with dark hair. He's about the height of your chin, with a light blue T-shirt and khaki shorts. A german shepherd should be with him." The man looked around.

"I can't see him. Do you know his phone number?" Emma froze.

"N- no," she said emotionlessly. The man knelt down next her and reached for the collar around her neck.

"No tags?" he asked, stating the obvious.

"Well, no…"

The man stood up. "If you want you can come with me, I'll help you look for him." Emma considered for a moment. "Stranger danger" was going off in her mind, but he seemed so kind.

"Alright." The man smiled.

"Where did you last see him?"

"I- I- I don't know. I was staring at the ground and next thing I know I bumped into you."

"Hm...we can go back the way you came, and try to find him. What's your name, pup?"

"Emma," she said after a moment.

"My name's Israel. C'mon, let's go find your owner."

* * *

Ranger looked around. That familiar white and black dalmatian had disappeared. "Uh, Max, sir?"

"Yes, Ranger?" Max asked.

"Where's Emma?"

The boy stopped. She was usually quiet, unless she was in an argument, so he hadn't thought much about the silence. He looked around, trying to find her. _It's not a big town,_ he thought to himself, _how far can she have gone?_

"I don't know," Max said after a moment.

"She doesn't have a tag, does she, sir?"

"No, she doesn't. And that's what I'm afraid of."

"So where do we look?" Max bit his lip. For once, he didn't have an answer.

* * *

"So, Israel, how long have you been here?" Emma asked, trotting next to him.

He answered without much conscious thought. "Oh, about three-four years. Moved here when I got married."

"Do you have any children?" she asked cautiously. She didn't want to hit a sore spot or something he didn't want to discuss.

"Yeah. A son named James, and another one on the way." Emma smiled and looked up at him.

"Well, congratulations!" It felt right saying it.

"Thank you," he replied. Silence reigned.

What Emma couldn't figure out was how she had gotten lost in such a small town. It wasn't like San Francisco where you could end up walking around the city for hours and just end up walking in a circle. The ramshackle buildings were probably the worst part, Emma felt. They gave a feeling of...loneliness. Like a bowl of food left to go stale.

Speaking of food, Emma's stomach growled. A paw went to her stomach, and a blush spread across her face as Israel turned to look at her. He had an eyebrow raised, and was smiling.

"Excuse me," she said in a small voice. Her heart felt like it was sinking. Now he probably thinks I'm weird, the dalmatian thought to herself.

"You sound hungry. Want to come to my place and eat something? It's approaching dinnertime, and my wife usually makes extra."

Hoping she wasn't making a bad decision, she spoke. "Sure."

* * *

 _As PAW Patrol leader, it is important that you keep an awareness out for your pups. They should be competent and smart if you chose them for the team and so should be able to fend for themselves._

Max felt like a jerk reading part of what Ryder had written. Emma was missing, in a small town at that, and he had no idea to even _begin_ looking for her. He continued to mope and stare at the pup-pad when he tripped over Ranger.

With a small yelp, Ranger said "Sorry, sir. I didn't mean to get in your way."

Max stood up, brushing himself off. "That's fine, Ranger. And I'm sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going. But why did you stop?" Ranger let his ears droop ever so slightly.

"I thought I heard whimpering. I stopped to listen." His ear twitched.

"Well," Max started, "is it st-"

"Shh!" Ranger hissed. His head was down slightly as his ears moved around. Max was reminded of a periscope, watching his pup's ears. After a minute or two of swivelling back and forth, Ranger launched away. Max stood there a moment, wondering where he was off to.

"Wait up!" he shouted, then ran after the german shepherd.

Ranger stopped at a corner. His breathing was more panting, but discipline kept his tongue in his mouth. His mother always said the "lolling", as she called it, was for slobs. And Ranger wasn't a so-called "slob". Almost with a mind of their own, Ranger's ears rotated forwards, backwards, left, right, and back again. His heart was pounding, both from running and from excitement. An unknown pup in danger was one of the duties of an officer. Especially one in the PAW Patrol.

Not that he was an "official" officer. Both his parents were, in some form, a police officer. He always held the sneaking suspicion that his mother outranked his father. But that was then. The two dogs that he called "Mom" and "Dad" were owned by no one, but they had lived with Max's parents before they had died.

Ranger lifted his head just as Max came up behind him, breathing hard. Ranger darted down an alley where the whimpering was coming from. "Ranger, wait!" Max said, but Ranger lost it in the excitement. The whimpering was growing louder. It almost sounded like, crying. Someone was crying. Ranger turned a corner, and stopped dead in his tracks. He felt vomit rise in the back of his throat, and swallowed to try and send it down.

Sitting in front of him was a pup, their eyes were closed. Tears were flooding from the pup's eyes, and snot was trailing from their nose. But that wasn't what had made him stop.

A large puddle of crimson red surrounded the pup's front paws and head. The pup's natural fur color was gray, but the blood-soaked fur turned into an almost-black color. Ranger ran forward, immediately sniffing and trying to calm the pup.

"Hey, it's okay, we'll help you," Ranger said. The german shepherd turned his head to look in the direction of a scratching noise. Max stopped at the intersection of alleys, and stared a moment at the pup on the ground. "Max, do something!" Ranger nearly shouted. Ranger, on the other hand, was looking closely at the pup's paw. Something had cut into it, deeply. A flash of bone could be seen, as well as a sudden shriek of pain from the pup.

"Max, sir," Ranger said rapidly, "I found the source of the pup's injury. He's lost _a lot_ of blood, it'll be a miracle if he survives." Max looked at the wound.

The boy bit his lip. "I don't know where the hospital is here. Or a vet, for that matter." Ranger tried to look at the pack on his back. He hadn't taken it off, and had almost entirely forgotten about it. He had a hunch, and hoped it was right.

"Arf! Bandages!" A drawer popped out, launching the bandages into the air. Max looked at Ranger at the sudden bark, then looked at the bandages coming back down to earth. Without thinking, he caught them. Without a moment's hesitation, he wrapped the pup's paw, noting it was a boy.

Ranger saw the pup-pad in Max's back pocket. How Max managed to fit the pup-pad into his pocket was beyond the pup, but he grabbed with his mouth and pulled. It came out, causing Max to look up from his task.

"I'm calling the hospital," Ranger said quickly. Max nodded.

Within moments of the call, an ambulance was heard. Both Max and Ranger hoped it would get there in time.

* * *

"Something's wrong," Emma said, stopping. Israel stopped as well. Emma strained her ears, regretting that they weren't too good. However, she didn't need them to be good. Sirens were going off, and Emma recognized the particular tone and timing. "An ambulance," she said. Looking into Israel's eyes she spoke again. "How often does the ambulance come out?"

"Not very, it's been a few months since it last came," he said. Emma clenched her jaw. Only one person, or pup in this instance, would be stupid enough to hurt themselves.

"Ranger, you idiot," she growled under her breath as she took off running.

"Where are you going?" Israel half-shouted, starting to chase after Emma.

"I'm going to make sure my friend didn't hurt himself!" Israel had no real reply to that.

Trying her best to pin-point the direction of the sound, Emma ran through several alleys and streets. She almost breathed a sigh of relief when she found the ambulance. Still running, she ran into the alley the ambulance had backed up to. She was just in time to see a stretcher get lifted up, a tail hanging off the end. Tears were in her eyes when a familiar voice came from behind her.

"Emma! You're al- oof!" Ranger said as Emma punched his chest.

"That's what you get for scaring me, idiot!" Emma yelled. Ranger clutched his chest, trying to get his breathing back for the second time that day.

When he finally got his breath back, wheezing, he asked, "What was, that for?"

"I said for scaring me!" Now Ranger was getting angry.

"How did I scare you? You scared me _and_ Max! We turn around and _poof!_ you're not there!" Emma glared at the german shepherd, conceding his point. Ranger couldn't help one but jab once more at Emma. "Doesn't help your fur is white, it makes you look like a smoke cloud. OW!" Emma smacked the back of his head, hard, making him see stars a moment.

"That's what you get for calling me 'a cloud of smoke'! I have more muscle up here," she gestured to her head, "than you have total. Jerk."

"Emma, there you are!" Max said, coming forward. Emma shot one more icy glare at Ranger before turning to Max.

"Yes, I'm right here," she said sarcastically. She started back-peddling as Max kept coming closer. "Wait, what are you- help!" she yelled as Max pulled her into a hug.

"I was worried I lost you. I didn't want to lose one of my pups before we even got started." Emma rolled her eyes while Max couldn't see her face.

After what felt like years to Emma, Max released her. It was then Israel decided to come running up. He wasn't breathing hard, but was sweating in the heat. Max and Ranger turned to look at the newcomer. Max stood, holding out his hand. He withdrew it, realizing blood was still on it. Unable to help himself, he looked at Emma. Two red handprints were on her back. He'd have to wash her later.

"Hi, I'm Max," the boy said.

Israel, having noticed Max's bloody hand, appreciated the catch to not shake hands. "I'm Israel. Are you Emma's owner?"

Emma winced, but it went unseen by Max. "Yeah," the boy answered." Israel smiled.

"Good. I've been trying to help her look for you. Almost brought her home so she could have dinner with my wife and I, but she found you guys." Max looked at Israel with a new sense of gratefulness.

"Well, thank you for keeping an eye on my pup. Next time I'll try not to let her wander." He turned to face her, giving a wink as he did so. Emma glared at him icily.

"Well, take care. Of both yourself and your pup. Bye, Emma." He smiled as he said the last part, looking at her. She smiled back. Emma watched as he walked off, presumably towards his home.

"So what's with the ambulance?" Emma asked. Just as she said it, it took off, sirens wailing. She stared after it, even as Max answered.

"Ranger found a pup who had been injured. He lost a lot of blood, and Ranger called an ambulance on the pup-pad." Emma continued to stare after the ambulance. She shivered.

"So I expect that we'll be going to see that pup shortly?" Max grinned.

"Yeah, we are. First, though, I would like to head back to the Air Patroller and catch some sleep. We've had a bit of a rough day, and I know none of us slept too well last night."

That was one suggestion that neither pups could complain about.

* * *

It was dark out. The moon cast silky, silver light across the ground. Stars shone brilliantly, as if trying to outdo the moon itself. Max heard Ranger's deep, even breathing. Emma was silently, sprawled out across one of the benches. Max, on the other hand, was reclined in one of the pilot's chairs. Robo-dog was "sleeping", otherwise known as charging. While he could charge from the Air Patroller wirelessly, he needed to be off to do so. Not that Max was complaining. The Robo-dog was still a smart piece of technology. It astounded the boy that he was made decades ago.

Admiring Robo-dog wasn't why Max was up though. The teen was on the pup-pad, going through more files. When he had read Marshall's file, it had been more of a curiosity about the family. Now, though, that file got him curious about the others. Bracing himself, Max clicked on the file named "Everest", and read.

 _Evangelica "Everest" Wane Snow is the snow/mountain rescue pup of the PAW Patrol. She was found as a stray in the arctic, after she saved our friend, Jake. Without anyone else to turn to, I invited her to come with us. After her selflessness and acts of bravery she showed, I made the decision to include her on the team. Since then, she has always worked hard to show she was serious about wanting to help people._

 _She's been through several "phases" in her life. When she first started helping, she was always playful and a bit too energetic on rescues. This went on for a few weeks when she suddenly started to become more withdrawn from the world. This went on for several weeks as well. I remember making a trip up to Jake's Mountain to talk to her. As I was speaking with her, she started talking about how afraid she was. Afraid of being alone. It happened when Jake had left for a week, and she had several panic attacks._

 _Then it went in a complete one-eighty. She became outgoing, always happy and smiling, and all that jazz. What was really amusing was she started obsessing over black. I remember when she showed up at the Lookout with a black vest, hat, and earrings. I talked her out of a nose ring._

 _Then she turned around_ again _. She stopped wearing black, albeit kept the earrings. I was a bit surprised when one day she walked into the Lookout without her normal snow-cap, and was showing of the fur on top of her head. Now, normally I wouldn't be surprised by a pup choosing to not wear a hat, but she managed to do it. I guess she always had long fur under that cap of hers, and she decided to dye it bright blue. That was fun._

 _And then came the "mating" phase. My word, was that disturbing. For it to make sense, though, I need to back up. Being from the wild, she didn't think of having sex with another pup was part of a life-lasting agreement, but something that was just required. Something to reproduce, not a show of love. So when she started talking about it, to both me and Jake, we had to explain to her what it meant. She must've asked the other pups first. Man, you should've seen the look on Chase's face when she walked past him one day. I won't even get started on Rocky or Zuma._

 _Now that leads us squarely to Marshall. Everest was obsessed with him. I mean, not in the manner of whenever he walked by she watched him, I mean she_ followed _him for days. Whenever I had a private conversation with her, that was all she could talk about. Whenever I needed the two for the same mission, she stared at him almost the entire time. Eventually she told him. To cut a long story short, when they told me they were mates, I was happy for them._

 _When they had pups, two girls a boy, I almost expected her to run to the moon and back. Boy, was she excited. Then the tragedy came. In the file for Marshall, I explained what happened there. This file is already longer than I expected, but sometimes information is needed._

 _When their oldest pup, Miracle, was around two years old, she committed suicide. Everest became an overall mess. Whenever we would talk together, nine times out of ten she would burst into tears. It pained my heart seeing her that way, and I did my best to comfort her. She told me, in complete confidence, that she "couldn't lose anymore family" and be able to continue._

 _As of now, not much has changed with her. In the future this file may or may not see more updates._

Max looked up from the pup-pad. He wanted to read another file, but it was already midnight. He needed to get sleep for the next day or two. There was a suspicion in his mind that they were going to take this pup onto the team, more because he most likely needed a home. Max hadn't seen any tags or even a collar on the pup.

After all, wasn't the PAW Patrol meant to help others?

* * *

Hot sunlight came through the window. It glared brightly, making it impossible to open one's eyes. It slowly started to burn, but Emma didn't mind. She was used to the heat, and had a fairly high pain-tolerance. The dalmatian moaned ever so softly as she stretched. It was bad to get into the habit of sleeping in. It made one's mind groggy and always tired. Keeping her eyes shut, she sat up. Extending her front paws, several pops and cracks came from her back.

"That sounded terrible," Ranger groaned.

Emma, ignoring her companion, twisted her head back and forth. Several more pops and cracks came from the joints and tendons in her neck. She went forward, keeping her hind paws in place. Another four cracks echoed.

"Please stop," Ranger moaned in agony.

Emma yawned. It had been what, two days since she had left San Francisco? It already felt like a year. She slowly stood up, and shook herself. A bit of fur on her side was still sticking up. She stared at it for a good thirty seconds, as if it would magically go down. Sighing, she managed to bend her body to lick it down.

Ranger watched through half-closed eyes. Regardless of her attitude, she was a bit cute. _Heck no! I'm not going out with that jerk!_ he thought to himself. With a sigh of his own, he uncurled from his tight sleeping position and stretched. He didn't get the same snapping and popping as Emma did, but it felt good. A yawn made itself known to him as his mouth opened wide.

"Glad to see you two are up," Max said. Emma looked to the back of the Air Patroller where Max was. He had two bowls in his hands, each one filled with food. Without hesitation, she padded forward and thrust her nose into the bowl. It was only after half the bowl ended up on the floor that she realized she was famished. Regardless, she started eating the food off the floor. She started to get irritated as one piece of kibble decided to bounce off her nose as she went to eat it. Frowning, she scooped it up with her tongue.

Max laughed slightly as he saw what happened with Emma. He turned to look out of the Air Patroller when his pup-pad rang. Looking at it, he saw it was Mayor Goodman.

"Hello, Mayor Goodman," Max said.

" _Hi, Max. How's your pup-hunting going?_ " the mayor asked.

"It's going good. I have the second member, and we may have found a third member now as well."

Mayor Goodman bit his lip. " _Okay. Is there anyway you could move faster?_ "

The mayor's uneasiness spoke volumes to Max. "Mayor, what's wrong?"

" _Another bank was robbed. At the crime scene they found a matte black card with a gloss-black bullet in the center. It was found at the other bank that was robbed just over a week ago._ "

"So you think we might be dealing with a gang?" Mayor Goodman shrugged.

" _Either that, or we're dealing with a professional. I get the feeling it's both._ "

* * *

 _ **A/N: And there you have it. I'm going to keep this brief in saying that I'll work to get another chapter out, and hopefully I won't get writer's block. Sweetie's Frenemy is next on the list to update, and so that will be updated before this. Until then, this is TheMattdude signing off!**_


	7. Chapter 7

Water crashed against the hull, throwing the crew to the rails. The salty water sloshed across the deck, covering it in a slick layer. Rain hammered down as another wave came crashing over the bulwarks, thunder pounding the sky like a relentless hammer, the ship a nail. The crew, each dressed in neon-colored rain suits, walked the deck like gentle rolling hills were beneath their feet. A crab net came over the side of the boat, empty.

"She's empty!" someone shouted. The crate was thrown onto a pile of other empty ones. Water dripping from the crane to hoist the crates, a pup stood watch. The pup's fur was salt crusted and matted, currently soaked through.

With deft, precise movements, the pup swung down from the arm.

"Send 'em back out!" the pup yelled in a rough voice. One crew member had once called the voice crusty, and old. He had a week of unpleasant duties to think about that careless comment. Not being one to sit, the pup moved with the crew. The pup was large for its age, as well as muscular. A lifetime of hauling ropes and cages made sure to that.

One by one, the crew sent the crates back out. Lightning flashed, thunder rolled. Another wave. Hold on. Lift, shove. Repeat. A dreary, never ending cycle. One hour, two hours. Three. Crate after crate was hauled up, emptied, thrown out. It was well after midnight, the frigid water pelting each of the crew.

The crew breathed a sigh of relief as the last crate was gone. However, celebrations would come later. Exhausted, the crew went below deck, wanting to get out of the world of water. Another wave came, another moment of fear. The crew half-dragged themselves with the railing, nearly dropping from exhaustion. The pup wobbled as the boat crashed into another wave. Every ounce of heat was gone from her fur. The cabin was ten feet away, five feet, a foot. The pup stumbled down the two stairs and nearly fell in the process.

She couldn't help but let a grin spread across her face as she thought about the haul they had brought in. It was good for thousands of dollars, more than a good enough reward. The crew felt the same, smiles and slaps on the back spreading as the coats came off. A man stepped forward with a towel, rubbing off the pup. He was grinning as well, having watched from the cabin the haul that was brought in. The pup smiled as well and nodded her thanks. She was too exhausted to speak.

Gingerly, the pup made her way to the bridge. Her owner looked down from the windows and controls to smile at her.

"Good haul, eh, Zoe?" The large pup nodded.

"Very. Should be 'nough for a couple thousand."

The captain flashed a toothy grin, revealing several empty spots. "That's great news! Tell the men to open a case!" Smiling yet again, Zoe nodded, liking the idea. She wasn't sure if there were any rules about pups drinking, but they were in the ocean. Who would know?

Making her way downstairs, the crew had already gotten out cards. A bowl of mints, a stack of money, a couple cigars were in the center of the table. Compared to what was normally there, it was a big pot.

"Capt'n Mark said to open a case to celebrate," Zoe said. They turned to look at her. Without a word said, one of the men set his cards down and bolted to a small fridge. He came back with a case of beers in his arm. Everyone's spirits lifted even more at the sight. It was going to be a good night. Without a moment's hesitation, the men dove right in. The pleasing sound of " _Crack!"_ followed by a hiss made Zoe's mouth water. The person who brought the beer opened one and poured it into a bowl for Zoe. He brought it down, and Zoe brought her head down to lap it up when the ship shuddered violently.

The bowl of mints crashed to the floor and shattered. The table rocked and almost fell over, the cigars rolling off. A loud screech rang out as the ship vibrated. Zoe knew what that meant. Without any hesitation, she started shouting. "Life vests! Get to the lifeboat, we're sinking!"

The entire six-person crew leapt to their feet. The door was thrown open and the crew ran out. Zoe stayed in the doorway as footsteps thundered up the few steps. "Go, go!" she shouted unnecessarily. She turned to run out the door just as a wave came pounding towards her. The last thing she remembered was being thrown against the wall.

* * *

A soft beeping echoed through the room. It soothed him, reminding him of his favorite things. The sound of feet shuffling was barely audible above the beeps, but posed no threat. He became conscious of breathing, wondering who it was from. A bright, white light blinded him. _Is this heaven?_ he wondered. Strange, how there was noise.

Then he realized he was laying down. It was remarkably soft, it even felt clean. He tried to lift his head, but it wouldn't budge. Light-headed, he wondered why he couldn't get up. The bright light had dimmed, and he opened his eyes farther. Groaning, he tried to sit up once again, but a gentle hand pushed him back down.

"You need to rest," said the owner of the hand. Doing his best not to feel sick, he looked at the voice. It was a boy, one who couldn't be older than fourteen or fifteen. He had dark brown hair, and deep blue eyes. Almost like sapphires. The boy had a very square jaw. Those eyes spoke of knowledge. He had a comparatively small nose, and was dressed in a sky-blue T-shirt and jeans.

"Where...where am I?" he weakly said. The boy smiled. It was such a nice smile.

"In the hospital. You lost a lot of blood." A dull-throbbing made itself noticed in his paw. He looked down to see it wrapped in bandages.

"What...happened?"

"The doctors said it looked like a knife wound. It was deep, but they managed to do a good job patching it back up. You should be back on your feet in a day or so, so long as you're careful. Do you have an owner?"

"No. Who...are...you?"

"My name is Max."

"Thank...you...for saving...me," he said between breaths.

Max smiled, and said, "Thanks, but it isn't me you should be thanking. My pup found you. What's your name?"

"Don't….have one...mostly called...mutt…"

It was that point where a nurse walked in. He put a needle into the IV, and pushed the stopper. "This should help you recover," was all he said. He checked a clipboard, then walked out. The pup immediately started feeling better, but still felt weak.

"Do you want me to call you something else?" Max asked politely.

"Just call me...Rocky…" The name caught Max off-guard. He had seen the file named "Rocky", but it was just a file.

"What do you like to do, Rocky?" He thought a moment

"I like...computers...never had one….live on streets…" Max bit his lip. If he could see how handy this pup was, it was possible that he might very well be the next pup Max recruited. The boy wasn't expecting to find another member so quickly.

"What can you do with them?" Max asked. Rocky inhaled deeply, preparing to talk.

"I can program...them...built one out of random parts...didn't have a stable power source...other pups broke it...tried to stop them…" A tear slid down his cheek. Max was silent for a moment.

He was about to speak when he heard a snore. Rocky had fallen asleep.

Moving quietly, Max crept out of the room. He shut the door carefully, then made his way down the hall. There was almost no one around, as the hospital clearly wasn't used much. A couple nurses made their way through the halls, and a few staff members were walking around. The place was quiet.

Emma and Ranger looked up as Max entered the waiting room. Both were in uniform, the pup-packs sitting o Ranger's tail was wagging back and forth lazily, like an old fan. Emma sat at attention, ears perked to hear any news. It had been four days since they found the pup, whom they were now concerned about.

"What's the word, Max?" Emma asked.

"He'll be fine," Max said, "But needs at least a day or two of rest. He'll be allowed to leave in about three days, and then he just needs to stay off his paw."

"Are we going to take him in, sir?" Ranger asked.

Max smiled. "If he let's us. I'm surprised that we're already taking him onto the team, we were only here for a day when we found him."

"Sometimes miracles happen," Emma said. Max nodded.

"They sure do."

The silence lasted for a few minutes as Max sat down.

"So, where do we go after this?" Emma asked.

Max shrugged. "I don't know. There's no more instructions of where to go for members, which will make it difficult."

Emma decided she didn't like that answer. It made her feel uneasy, as if there was an itch that changed spots no matter where she scratched it. She hated that feeling.

"Well," she started, "what other-" Emma got no further.

Another nurse poked her head in, saying, "The pup you brought in is awake, and he's asking for you." Max stood up, and started walking to the nurse. Emma and Ranger looked between one another and back to Max, and slowly started to rise. He must've known what they were doing, because he turned to stop them. "All of you," the nurse said. Emma and Ranger shared a victorious glance with one another.

The nurse led them down the hall, and opened the door for them. She didn't enter, but closed the door after the trio. The soft click of the latch made Rocky perk his ears and turn to them. Max strode purposefully forward, with Ranger and Emma hesitating slightly.

"How are you feeling?" Max asked, kneeling at the side of the bed.

"Sorry...needed a...power nap...feel much better…" Rocky said.

"Well, Rocky," Max continued, "I'm glad. I also brought my pups here to meet you." Max looked at the two standing their, and used his head to gesture them forward. Ranger answered quickly, walking forward and jumping on the bed.

"Hello, Rocky," Ranger said, sitting down. "I'm Ranger. Are you okay?"

 _Apart from the fact I've had to answer that again, sure,_ Rocky thought. "Feeling….alright...just a little...tired…"

"Understandable. After nearly dying, I would only assume that one would be exhausted. When I found you, you had almost bled out. A major vein must've been cut in your leg. What happened?" Rocky breathed deeply several times.

"Two dogs...something sharp... can't really remember…"

Ranger looked at the pup in front of him curiously. He hadn't really seen one such as this pup before. "What breed are you? The gray in your fur is fascinating."

"Mixed...breed…"

"Wha-"

"Ranger, a Mixed Breed is a type of dog that doesn't formally belong to a specific breed," Max intervened. He didn't want Rocky to be hurt.

Rocky, for his part, looked at Max with genuine surprise. "That's the...nicest definition...I've ever heard...used to just...'mutt'..."

Max smiled, and turned to Emma. Knowing what he wanted, she jumped up onto the bed just as Ranger was jumping off. She sat down, and spoke, scratching her ear as she did so.

"I'm Emma. It's nice to meet you, Rocky."

The Mixed Breed focused his eyes on the little Dally. "Nice to...meet you...too…"

Emma was surprised to see that one eye was brown and the other was blue, but didn't let that make her stumble. "I'm glad you're mostly alright, it'd be a shame to lose someone I hoped to live."

"Thanks…" Rocky blinked as his vision swam momentarily. Then he realized it was tears. "Sorry…" he said, wiping his eyes. "Never had...someone care...before…"

"Well, now you can say someone does." Emma let a stupid grin slide onto her face. "So, why Rocky? Do you like that name?"

The Mixed Breed regarded her carefully. "Emma," Max snapped, "don't be rude."

"I'm not," Emma snapped right back, "I'm genuinely curious."

"Because...it describes...my life...rough...Rocky…" Rocky felt his eyelids start to go droopy. It was a matter of seconds until he drifted off to sleep.

"Rocky?" Emma asked cautiously, nudging him. The only response was a small snore. The pup blinked. "Looks like he needed another power nap."

* * *

Emma really hated the Air Patroller. Its constant shuddering and rumbling made her feel uneasy, as if it were some type of monster. The only thought she had was _I hate flying_.

Rocky, on the other hand, kept looking around like he was a kid in a candy shop. He was sitting in Max's lap, looking at all the dials, buttons and switches. Emma caught him staring at Robo-dog on several occasions.

"So that robot dog flies this thing by himself?" Rocky asked Max.

"Yes, he does," Max replied. "Both of these were made probably fifty years ago when I found them. I had to spend a few moments repairing them, but I was surprised by the fact it still worked." This made Rocky stare all the more. "Ranger's pup-pack was the same. We found it half constructed but surprisingly functional. I've been working on it while we've been in the air and during some of the evenings." Now Rocky stared at Ranger's pup-pack.

"You can come and check it out," Emma volunteered the German Shepherd. "Last I checked, he doesn't bite." She added a wink at the end of the sentence. Both Ranger and Rocky looked towards her. Ranger's look was more of a glare, with Rocky's being one of interest. Rocky then turned to look at Ranger, who glared back. Rocky decided it was better to not push it.

"You can check out mine," Emma said with a small sigh. She hated seeing someone sad. Rocky's ears perked up. Maybe the trip wasn't going to be so bad.

With an excited spring, he jumped off Max. Max, who was braced for something like that to happen, managed to escape any sort of bruises. Barely. Shaking his head in both amazement and thankfulness, he looked to the Pup-pad. He knew he was on it a lot, but there was so much information there. Most of it was just looking at infor-

"Don't do that!" Emma called, just before metal against metal sounded. Silence.

Fearing the worst, Max turned around. A curious, interested Rocky was looking at the pup-pack on the floor. It was in pieces after just having been in his paws for ten minutes. A distraught Dalmatian completed the picture.

"I can put it back together," Rocky stated. He further deconstructed it, peering closely at the tools and circuitry. Wires looped around like spaghetti.

The Pup-pad vibrated.

Max turned to see the mayor calling again. Tapping the screen, Max saw the now familiar form of Mayor Goodman on the screen. "Hello, Mayor," Max said.

" _High, Max! It's good to see you again. Look, how long until you get back home?_ "

"It depends on whether I stay away to find another pup or come straight home."

" _Do you think you could come home first? A situation came up, and we need more help. I figured it'd be a good idea to test your new team._ "

"What's wrong?"

" _Remember the bank robbery I told you about a few days ago?_ " Max nodded. " _We can't get any good leads as to who they are or where they are. Do you think you could come home for a while, at least to help us get any sort of lead?_ " Max considered a moment. He looked to the three pups that were in the Air Patroller. One was reassembling a pup-pack, one was looking in horror at the tangle of metal and wires in front of her, and one was sitting on a bench feigning disinterest.

"You know what, let's do it. I am curious to see how my team would hold up in a situation like that."

" _Thank you, Max. If there is anything you need, let me know. I'll be sure you get it._ "

"Will do. We'll be home by the end of the day."

* * *

It was, in fact, night when they finally arrived back in Adventure Bay. For the most part, the little town had stayed the same over the past few decades. It hadn't spiraled out of control in terms of the size of the town, but had grown taller. There was a restaurant sitting by the town water tower that had sat there as long as anyone could remember. It was now known as _The Porter's Family Diner_ , but had once been known as merely _Mr. Porter's_. Town Hall was unchanged architecturally, but the interior had changed to suit the changing times.

Robo-dog flew over the town, towards the Lookout. The pups had fallen asleep, Ranger in his customary tight curl, Emma was sprawled out as if she were in a competition of who could take up the most room. Rocky was in the corner, trying to make himself as unobtrusive as possible. He called out occasionally in his sleep.

Max watched lazily as the Lookout grew larger. It was could to be home, especially now that he had somewhere pleasant to go. As if in a dream state, the Air Patroller slowly hovered next to the building. A rumbling was heard somewhere, and the plane slowly descended. The Lookout seemed to rise above the plane even more, with grass visible at eye-level. The ground swallowed them like a massive shark would swallow a seal. Two panels slowly slid closed like the jaws of some monster.

It was only when the Air Patroller shuddered and went silent that Max realized they had landed. Looking at the clock on the Pup-pad, Max saw it was one-thirty in the morning. "Where are we?" a worried voice quickly asked. Bleary eyed, Max looked to see Rocky awake, eyes wide in fear.

"We're at your, *yawn*, new home. Why don't you go wake up Ranger and I'll, *yawn*, wake up Emma?" Rocky looked at the sleeping German Shepherd. He quietly padded over to him, and tapped him on the shoulder. Ranger instantly awoke.

"We home?" he asked groggily. He stretched out his front paws and gave a massive yawn.

"I think so," Rocky replied. Ranger raised an eyebrow, but didn't question it. The prospect of his pup-bed was too tantalizing.

Mac wasn't having as much luck as Rocky. "Emma, wake up," he said, gently shaking her. She remained asleep. "Emma?" Max said a little more loudly, shaking her harder. Still nothing.

"Max, sir? Can I try?" Ranger asked from behind. Max turned to see his dog's eyes half-closed.

"Sure," Max said. Ranger jumped onto the bench Emma was on, staring at her for a good moment. Coming to a decision, he smacked the side of her hind leg.

A tremendous force hit his chest, launching him off the bench. He rubbed his chest, thankful that the wind didn't get knocked out of him. His excitement faded as he realised a massive bruise would be there.

"You don't learn, do you?" Emma asked, wide-awake. Fire was in her eyes as she stared Ranger down. Said German Shepherd gulped loudly. He tried to back up as Emma jumped off the bench and started walking towards him, but found himself against the front of the plane. Moving slowly and deliberately, Emma brought her mouth down next to Ranger's ear. "Don't ever disrespect me like that again. I'm not here to be used as your eye candy, I'm here for a job. And if I ever find you doing that again, you and I will have some...complications. Got it?" Ranger nodded fearfully. "Good." Stepping back and walking towards the rear hatch of the Air Patroller, Emma called out, "I'm going to find someplace to crash. Next time, use an alarm."

* * *

 _ **A/N: Look at that! I got a new chapter out in a week! New high score! (Kidding XD) Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Last chapter I wasn't really content with what I wrote, so I made sure to take a bit more time each day to write this. And now we have a mystery pup named Zoe who seems to be in trouble, and events in Adventure Bay that already require the PAW Patrol. Ryder must've been psychic to predict when the new PAW Patrol was going to be needed... So, no guarantees about when the next chapter comes out, hopefully within the next two weeks. As for "Sweetie's Frenemy", I'm at a bit of a writer's block. Hopefully I can figure out what to do for that soon, it's been too long since I've updated it. Until then, this is TheMattdude signing off!**_


	8. Chapter 8

_**A/N: And I am back! It has taken a little longer to write this chapter, as I haven't really gotten a solid chance at writing. I'm not the happiest with how this turned out, but at the same time I couldn't really be any happier with any other ways it could've gone. So, without further ado, enjoy!**_

* * *

Soft, golden light poured into the quaint room, the sun trying to wake the occupant. A bed with a green comforter was in the corner. A light protruded from the middle of each of the four walls, providing even lighting when turned on. A round rug dominated the center of the room and was a light blue color. A box fan droned like a lazy bumblebee. The room itself almost seemed to broadcast laziness.

Rocky groaned and stretched. He scratched his ear, working to get that itch gone. All in all, he had had a very pleasant sleep. It was clean, comfortable, and he didn't have to worry about some random god coming and stealing anything. Eyes still half-closed, he walked to the door. Pushing a button with an audible " _Click!_ ", the door slid upwards. He wasn't sure where it went, but there would be plenty of time to figure out.

The Mixed Breed yawned as he walked past other doors. Three of them were open, and he peered into two of them as he walked by. One had a messy bed with a red comforter and a nightstand with two picture frames. There was already clothing on the floor. It had been what, not even a full night that they had been at the Lookout?

The next room he peered into almost looked like something out of a catalog for furniture. The comforter was dark blue, with the a white sheet folded back onto it. The pillows were upright against the back of the bed, and everything was ruler straight. The floor was clean, and the lights off. Doing his best not to get lost, he turned down a second hall, towards the main area of the Lookout. Looking out one of the many windows, the sun had risen above the horizon. Just by seeing it, anyone could tell it was going to be a nice day.

"You idiot!" someone shouted. It was a feminine voice, and sounded angry. It took Rocky a moment to remember where he recognized the voice. It was Emma, a very small pup. The few hours that they were awake had taught Rocky about the fiery temper held within the small package.

He walked into the main area of the Lookout just as Ranger said: "You can't expect us to ignore each other all the time."

"Yeah, but you can keep your paws to yourself!"

Rocky looked over to the two that were arguing, and shrugged mentally. He was more hungry than anything.

"Morning, Rocky," Max said. He was already dressed and looked prepared for the day. His hair was combed, his eyes were bright and full of life.

"Mo-nin'," Rocky half mumbled. "Got somethin' to eat?"

"Eh, mostly just cereal and kibble. Any preference?" Rocky thought a moment. No one had ever asked him what he wanted, or even got him food for that matter.

"I don't know. Are they good?"

Max laughed. "I'll get you both then." Max turned to a cabinet, and Rocky let hi eyes wander. The place really was amazing. It was mostly clean, with a few cobwebs on the ceiling. It was lit nicely, and was covered in all sorts of electrical contraptions. "I spent a few days getting it cleaned up with Ranger," Max said, a bowl in his hand. He set it on the counter and poured some time of bran flake-looking cereal into it, and dog food. "The place is old, but remarkably in good condition. I'm pretty sure my grandpa put it together when he was in his twenties, I think. And here you go." Max set the bowl on the ground, and Rocky sniffed it cautiously. It smelled pretty good.

Sticking his tongue out to try a piece, it was barely a second until he was cramming as much as he could into his mouth. The bran-flakes had some sort of sugary sweet coating on them, and the kibble had a very dry, yet satisfying flavor that beat any sort of old leftovers in garbage bins.

It was only when every last crumb had been consumed that Rocky looked up. He cast a wary glance to where Emma and Ranger had been arguing. Ranger had a frown on his face, an angry light in his eyes. Emma had a bit more of a mischievous grin on her face, but a hard light in her eyes.

"So what are they arguing about?" Rocky asked

Max sighed before answering. "Ranger tripped over something that belonged to Emma, and threw it at her. It went downhill quickly."

"I'll say," Rocky replied. "What is on Emma?" he couldn't help but ask.

He hadn't noticed it a few minutes before, hunger and exhaustion muddling his brain. Emma was wearing a red shirt made for dogs, with a picture of a firefighter's helmet on her back.

"To be honest, I didn't know for a moment either. I haven't dared to ask her about it though," Max said, staring at the Dalmatian.

"She doesn't seem like someone I'd want to cross. Do you have any more of that cereal?"

* * *

"Thank you for coming on such short notice," Mayor Goodman said.

"It's not a problem at all, Mayor," Max said.

They were outside City Hall. It was mid-morning, and the city was already alive. Everyone had somewhere to be, something to do. Surprisingly, the Mayor didn't have a very busy day. He had called Max just a few hours prior, both to inform him of what was known and to meet the new pups.

"Ranger, it is good to see you as well. I trust you've been keeping Max here out of trouble?"

"I try to, sir," Ranger replied seriously.

Mayor Goodman let out a deep laugh. He wasn't a large man, having wide shoulders yet almost no muscle or fat around his ribs and stomach. Almost always appearing in a suit, as well as neat hair. "Now," he said, "who are these two pups who received the honor to join you?"

"My name is Emma," said the little Dalmatian, who was next to Ranger. "I'm a certified firefighter, and it is a pleasure to meet you, Mayor."

"It is nice to meet you as well, Emma. I am sure you will be more than helpful to this team. Now who are you?" Mayor Goodman asked with a smile on his face. The gray Mixed Breed he was staring expectantly at stepped back under the scrutiny.

"My name is, uh, Rocky. I'm here as a, um, technician."

"Nice to meet you, Rocky. Now," the Mayor started, turning to Max, "I have a meeting in a few minutes, but I called you here for help. I don't know if you can solve it, but I figured it would be good practice for your team. I already explained what has happened over the phone, at least what I know. I would talk to the chief of police to find out more information." Mayor Goodman looked at his watch. "I'm sorry to cut this short, but I need to leave for my meeting. I will see you later, I'm sure."

"Yes you will," Max said, "good luck with your meeting."

"Thank you." Mayor Goodman turned and walked towards the doors of City Hall. He disappeared through them.

"I like him," Emma said. "He knows respect, unlike some of us." Emma turned an accusing gaze to Ranger.

"Let's not get into another argument, you two," Max said. "We need to find the chief of police. The best place to go would be-"

"The police station," Ranger said. He started trotting off. Max sighed and followed. Emma was about to follow when Rocky grabbed her leg

"Uh, Emma? Is the police station a good idea?" Emma was about to scold him for being ridiculous, but then softened. A pup like Rocky would've been trying to steal to survive, and that would mean having to avoid law enforcement.

"Yeah, of course it is. I know you might see it differently, but we need to solve a case. I don't know how I'm going to help, but whatever. You're part of the PAW Patrol know, and I know you probably don't know what that means. _I_ don't even really know what it means," Emma explained.

Rocky looked at her curiously. "If you don't know what it means to be on the PAW Patrol, then why did you join?"

"It's- it's complicated," Emma stammered. "We should probably go catch up to Max and Ranger before they yell at us." She flashed a grin, then padded away. Rocky stood there a moment, then sighed in resignation. May as well.

* * *

The police station wasn't a large building. It was still a good size, but not as large as the fire station Emma was used to. Then again, fire stations were typically larger. There didn't seem to be a whole lot of activity, with only the random person typing away at their computer. A table with pots of coffee and stacks of paper cups sat invitingly in the corner, beckoning someone to come and take some. Desks appeared to be organized almost at random, yet still allowed everyone easy access. Ranger led the way, Max behind him, and Rocky yet behind Max. Emma brought up the rear.

Ranger had his head raised, tail swinging back and forth lazily. He knew where he was going, he had been here before. It had been a long time, several years in fact, but he still knew people. Max had also been to the station, although wasn't terribly familiar with it. One or two of the faces looked familiar, but that was about it.

Rocky, meanwhile, had a look of shear terror on his face. Never once had he seen so many officers in one place, outside of a crime scene. He knew he had done some bad things in his life. Trying to calm down, he told himself that this place was states away. There was no way that they could be wary of him here. However, the occasional glance an officer gave him didn't fill him with the most confidence. The hospital that he had visited did a decent job at cleaning him up, but the stringy appearance of his fur and malnourished frame stayed.

"Uncle Rickey!" Ranger suddenly called out, running forward. Rocky jumped at the sound, trying to run the way they came. He ran straight into Emma, who immediately had a fiery look in her eyes. Rocky jumped up.

"Sorry," he mumbled, "I didn't mean to-"

"Hush," Emma said, "you were startled. Just make sure it doesn't happen again." She glared a moment longer to reaffirm her point, then walked ahead to Ranger and Max. Rocky stood a few seconds longer, a shiver running through his body. He reluctantly followed.

"Oh, it's good to see you again, Ranger!" a German Shepherd said. In his arms was Ranger, who was hugging fiercely.

"I missed you!" Ranger said happily. He stepped back. The dog Ranger had called "uncle" was big. He wasn't fat, but built like a tank. Deep brown eyes stared wisely at each pup and person in front of him. His nose was mashed up into an indiscernible lump of flesh and cartilage. A scar went around one of his front legs, near his paw, almost like a bracelet of sorts.

Max looked down at him. He had seen the dog around town before. Glancing at the other two pups, Max sighed. Emma looked up at Rickey with something approaching awe. Rocky, on the other hand, retreated slightly. The thin pup looking totally out of place in the police station, and Max decided to take pity on him.

"Come here, Rocky," he said, holding out his arms. The Mixed Breed looked around, and back to Max's arms. He jumped into them, Max realizing just how light he was.

"Ah, Ranger! My boy, how have you been? Have you been growing again? I told you to stop!" The older dog laughed heartily, messing up the fur on Ranger's head. He then looked to Max, Rocky, and Emma.

"And you must be Max. Ranger here has told me quite a bit about you. Good things, of course," he added with a wink. "You can call me Rick."

"Nice to meet you, Rick. I haven't really heard a whole lot about you. How long have you known Ranger?" Max asked, shifting Rocky in his arms.

"Since he was born. His parents are my co-workers. They're who knows where right now, but should be back in a week. Now, who are these other pups?"

"I'm Emma," the Dalmatian said.

"And this here is Rocky," Max said, indicating the pup in his arms. Rocky continued to stare fearfully at Rick.

"What are doing, son, collecting all these dogs?" Rick asked in a cheerful manner. He added a laugh to show he meant no harm. "Wait! Let me guess!" His pink tongue protruded slightly, one eye looking towards the ceiling. "You're reassembling the PAW Patrol!"

Max looked at him, impressed. "Yeah. How did you know?"

"I'm psychic." He was met with four blank faces. "Just kidding! The mayor told me. Couldn't wait to meet you myself."

"You're crazy, you know that, right?" Emma said, somewhat seriously.

Rick roared with laughter. "Of course I know! Everyone's always telling me." He leaned forward and whispered in Emma's ear. "Some people take the job too seriously. They need a little comic relief." He stepped back, and Emma had an unreadable expression on her face. "So Emma, and, Rocky, is it? What jobs do you two do?"

"I'm a firefighter!" Emma said proudly. Rick gave her an impressed look.

"What about you, Rocky?"

The Mixed Breed swallowed nervously. "I'm a- I'm a self-taught technician."

"Self-taught, eh? I've always thought that the self-taught folks are the smartest. How'd you get started,son?" Rick asked.

"I- I don't know. I just kinda started messing around with old parts from dumpsters. I don't know how to code, though."

Rick rolled his eyes with his next statement. "Personally, I think that coders are nerds. Mostly because they usually are. I doubt you will be though. Anyway, introductions aside, what can I do for you four?"

"We were actually wondering if we could find a report on the recent bank robbery," Max said. "I don't know if we can, but I- we, would like to help if we can." Rick's expression went from smiling to serious in a finger snap.

"Follow me." He turned and started swiftly walking away. The suddenness of his actions left Max, Emma, and Ranger still standing there. Ranger was the first to react, nearly tripping over his own paws in his hurry. Seeing him go forward, the others moved as well.

"Where are we going?" Rocky asked Max quietly.

"I don't know."

* * *

"This place should help you get up to date," Rick said, motioning around them. All sorts of computers and scanners surrounded them, with people in the stereotypical white lab-coats hustling to each corner of the room. It was about fifty by forty feet, and and nearly fifteen feet tall. "The forensics team has been working hard to get the criminals identified, but haven't had a whole lot of luck. They were very smart about what they were doing."

The PAW Patrol looked around in awe. Max set Rocky down, allowing him to take everything in. He spun around once, twice, and fell. Ranger let out a low chuckle. Emma whistled at the amount of machines crammed into the room. It was almost as if each machine was leaning over into its brethren, trying to see who could take up the most space.

"This place is...amazing," Rocky breathed. Rick laughed.

"You're certainly right about that! Now, I need to get going, I'm next out on patrol. See you later, guys. And Ranger, nice seeing you again!" He called the last part just as the door closed behind him. That left the three remaining pups and human standing there awkwardly.

Well, two of the pups were standing there awkwardly. Rocky, distracted by the computers, completely forgot about being shy. He walked to the heart of the room, where machines blocked him from view.

"Hello there," someone behind them said, "how may I help you?" He had a smooth voice, reminding Max of a soft wind on a Spring day. He turned to see the owner of the voice, and found himself looking into the eyes of a short man. His body was thin, and he had thinning hair. A pair of round glasses decorated his face, which in itself was rather dull. The nose wasn't large or small, his mouth was in proportion with his face, yet his hazel eyes had a sense of excited purpose in them. To top it all off, he had a thick, brown mustache long, brown hair.

"Yeah," Max said. "I was wondering if I could see lab results of any evidence from the most recent bank robbery."

The man bit his lip. "I'm sorry, but you need to have high enough clea-"

Max offered his credentials. "I would think that I do," Max said, trying his best to not sound offensive. Eyeing him cautiously, the scientist looked at a pad in his hand, and typed in a sequence of numbers and letters, and waited a moment.

"Well, looks like you do have clearance, Mr. Ryder," he said.

"Please, just call me Max."

"Okay, Max. I am Professor MacLarek, head of forensics. If you could follow me, I will show you what we have so far." He set off at a brisk pace, at least for his stature. Max found it just a little faster than a casual walk for him, but didn't bring that to light.

A thought crossed his mind, and he stopped just long enough to call out; "Rocky!"

The gray Mixed-Breed appeared seemingly out of nowhere, standing next to his still-new owner. Max let a brief glance pass between them, and continued following the professor. They passed through a doorway, and into a darkened room. Only two scientists were in this room, staring at a computer screen that threw soft light throughout the space. They barely took notice of the door opening and closing, absorbed into their task. Rocky sat down behind the scientists, trying his best to see what the computers said. Emma looked bored beyond belief, with Ranger looking between the scientists and Max.

Max looked around until a single object captured his attention. A black card, with a glossy black bullet in the center.

* * *

 _ **A/N: So, there you have it. My goal is to have another chapter out by Tuesday, but because of my schedule it may not happen. I've also been having other ideas for stories, so I'm also trying to plan what I'm going to do for anything in the future. But don't worry, we still have a ways to go yet for this story ;) I would also like to take a moment to say thank you to everyone who has read this, favorite-d, or commented on this story. When I came up with that first 3,500 word chapter as a one-shot, I never thought I would see people want me to continue it. So thank you, for both your support and your keeping me inspired to write. Until then, this is TheMattdude signing off!**_


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